Monochrome
by rlucain
Summary: As the girl grew, Poppy felt more and more that she was more boyish and needed a good male rolemodel in her life. And so, Poppy remarried. But, Longfeng already had a darling daughter of his own, and didn't care for the girl. When Poppy passed away some years later from an illness, Longfeng sold the girl into servitude, never to think of her again... Toko, AU.
1. Lixia

**MONOCHROME** | _A Cinderella Story_

_The Beifongs had a wonderful life, filled with love, peace of mind, and safety from Sozin's War. But that changed when the War reached Gaoling. Lao Beifong died in the skirmish, leaving behind his wife, Poppy, and their young daughter, Toph. As the girl grew, Poppy felt more and more that she was more boyish and needed a good male rolemodel in her life. And so, Poppy remarried. But, Longfeng already had a darling daughter of his own, and didn't care for the girl. When Poppy passed away some years later from an illness, Longfeng sold the girl into servitude, never to think of her again..._

**LIXIA**

**T**hey used to call her the girl that wouldn't break. She had a strong sense of self, and a snappy wit that wasn't afraid of anything, neither extra cleaning duty, nor whips. Some made the mistake of feeling sorry for her. Others made the mistake of thinking they were above her. No one was above Toph: no, she had her own mental chain of command. It took her trust to get her to answer to you, and none managed it.

Not until she turned twelve, at least. They weren't concerned with her. Not so much as everyone else was. She was just another face, another servant to boss around. Long as she did her job, they didn't bother her any, so, she did it relatively quietly, and did it well, and blended back into the crowd, so to speak. The first one was a man. He lived alone and was an artist, and she, being blind, tended to mess up his paints and whatnot without intending to. He sent her off somewhere else.

The second one was a woman. She was unmarried, but had a child that liked to undermine and bully her. Apparently, the woman didn't think slapping the kid was a good response to his torment. The third was another woman. She lived alone, and was unmarried, and spent too much time asking stupid questions. It was especially frustrating when the lady couldn't even remember her servant girl happened to be blind and unable to tell her whether the dress made her look fat or not. Then, a final man. That one could have been a father figure, if he didn't like feeling her up so much. He got knocked through a wall, and Toph ended up back on the market, so to say.

And then there was this family. Just a man, his wife, and their two children. Their daughter, Mai, she was a bit older than Toph herself, but they got along, for all the other girl's whining about how boring everything is. The little boy was precocious and, quite honestly, rather cute. Toph could tolerate him. The other servants in the household never bothered her too much, nor did the family, except when they had orders to give her. And, quite honestly, it was... rather peaceful.

Once in a great while, Mai would invite her childhood friend over. Ty Lee was a bouncy thing, always cheerful about... some odd thing or another. One of many siblings that looked just like her, she had a thing about sticking out. Yep, if there was anything Ty Lee did, it was stick out. Ty was never really mean to Toph either. Actually, she was probably one of the very few friends the blind Earthbender had. That was probably some flavor of sad. On occasion, the Fire Princess, Azula, would invite both Mai and Ty Lee to the palace for a visit. Get a load of that, right, serving the family of a girl that's friends with the _Fire Princess_.

But it wasn't like it mattered. Princess Azula had no reason to pay her any attention, so, probably stuck as a servant all her life. She'd die alone and unmarried, and that was just fine by her. Besides, Tom-Tom was cute, but kids, they were so not her style. Rather the opposite. If we could avoid that one, we'd just... do that.

Yeah, Toph was lonely. But lonely was safe. Lonely didn't get your hopes up. Lonely didn't turn its back on you. Lonely was a comforting constant, a factor that would always be one, especially when no one else would be a constant.

Well, there was another constant, too. Breakfast did not make itself.

* * *

"**C**an you believe it?" A slight pause in Toph's motions, attempting to snag that shirt that just fell out of the pile in her hands. Mai was on about some... thing or another. "I mean, **me**, _dating_ the **Fire Lord's ****son**. What could be greater than that?"

"Don't know, Miss Mai," Toph answered, rather monotone. The Fire Lord had a son? ... okay then. Apparently he did, considering Mai was squealing about dating him. Since when did Mai have an interest in anything, anyway? Whatever.

"You're coming to the festival aren't you? I'll need help with my costume. Jet wants all the dancers looking their best."

Now, there was some sort of irony in asking **her** of all people to come along, considering... well, couldn't tell a rock from the ocean. "I don't think I'm the best option for that, Miss Mai. Maybe Kaede -"

"You just don't like festivals. You never go." ... well, there wasn't much to do for a servant aside from trail their employer... person around. Besides, it was a good chance to laze around the estate and pretend she was rich.

"Nothing against them, but they're not really my thing." Not really, no.

"You're coming. No arguing. Besides, Kaede is aged and doesn't hear well," Mai stated, flat as always. A mental sigh; it would figure Mai would make her go. Something about if I have to suffer through this, you do too.

"Would you like me to follow you around?"

"No," Mai answered. "You should try the apple cider. Chat a little, mingle. Make friends besides Ty Lee. She's headache inducing sometimes, anyway."

... this... woman... not getting annoyed, not getting annoyed. "Sure." A very short pause. "I wouldn't call Ty Lee my friend, though."

"Oh? I thought you two were close."

"Not really. She just decided I looked lonely one day and hasn't stopped talking to me."

"Sounds like her alright."

Yeah. It probably did. "I should get these washed. Anything else you needed?"

"Just a glass of warm milk sent up," Mai answered. "And get someone to help you this time. The last time you did the laundry you must have washed them all together, the white things were tinted a bit pink from the red ones."

... not going to get annoyed, not going to get annoyed... "Sure."

So she wandered down the hall, passing Ling on the way. "Hey, are you busy?"

"Not really," Ling answered. "Why?"

"Mai's irritated because the last time I did the laundry, the reds tinted the whites pink. So, separate these or something," Toph asked, holding the bunch out.

"Sure. Set them down and I'll do that." With that, Toph just dropped them onto the floor. Ling seemed amused by this, however, and went to sorting through them, making a pile of lights, darks, and reds. ... most of them were red. Go figure.

"Sorry to ask."

"Nah, it's fine," Ling assured. "I kind of like having you around."

That was news to her. "Really."

"Yeah, you're kind of anti-social, and a little over-forceful, but, you're pretty nice when you want to be. And you've never really been outright mean."

Not pointing out that, actually, when she'd first gotten here, she'd shoved Ling into a wall and called her a fat cow. "Thanks."

"So, are you going to Lixia?"

"Unfortunately."

"Aww. It's not that bad. Actually, it's rather fun."

"I'd rather laze around the estate and pretend I'm rich for a night."

Ling giggled a bit. "Yeah, wouldn't we all." And she stood, then. "Alright, the one closest to you is white, the one in the middle is red, and the last one is dark. See you in the morning."

"Thanks Ling. See you." It took a few moments, but, she got the piles of laundry up off the floor, without mixing them together again, and toddled off for the washroom. May as well do it now. The festival was, after all, tomorrow, and Mai did actually freak out occasionally.

* * *

"**A**lright, ladies, ladies, hi, attention please," Jet, the festival organizer as always, was saying. That one grated Toph's nerves, but, he was fun to tease. The girls' chatter dimmed, and they gave him their attention after a moment. "Now, as we all know, this is a very important festival, after all, the Sacred Fire is lit at Lixia. You all look lovely, I'm sure your performances at the festival opener will be spectacular, special thanks to your assistants this day. ... except her." He was looking at Toph, of course. "Because she's a neg."

"I can kick your sissy butt any day. Bring it," was Toph's rather immediate response.

"Ooo, I like 'em spicy."

"You wish."

"Anyway, good luck to all of you, and let's have a lovely evening!"

It was the official start of summer. As summer was the Fire Nation's strongest season, they tended to go all out. Toph could already tell, at least a third of them were all in a ball of nerves. Never mind the procession would be performing alongside the caravan that escorted the Fire Nation royal family to the event. It was a very, very big deal.

"JET!" That would be Ty Lee, panicking. Right on cue. "Jet, we've got a serious problem!"

"What problem? Ty, honestly, your butt looks -"

"That's not the problem! Keiya fell out of a tree yesterday and broke her leg."

Jet frowned. "Keiya's supposed to lead."

"I know! But what are you going to do, her leg's broken. She can't dance like that," Ty Lee shrugged. "Do you have any replacements?"

"You should know we don't."

"Well, I don't think anyone would mind the lack of someone at the front. They probably won't even notice."

"No, there has to be someone at the front, the front lady's got the turn cues." A pause, as Jet thought and paced. "Alright, places, we'll go through it and see if anyone else is good enough to replace her. Go."

Toph promptly took Mai's seat as the girl stood up to go dance. It was a really big deal. The dancers were kind of a big thing at the festivals, so Toph heard. She'd never gone to one before, and, frankly, didn't much care either. Whatever floated their boat or... whatever the saying was these days. From following their vibrations through the ground, most of them were actually struggling to follow along without a lead. No wonder Jet was adamant about replacing this... Keiya.

"Alright, enough," Jet interrupted, a few minutes in. "Ty Lee, you should lead."

"Me?"

"Did I not just say that?"

"I have a spot right next to the carriage, if there's a blank spot right beside the carriage -"

"Then... you, hey, little blind snot," Jet started, turning to Toph, "can you dance?"

"... um. No." Actually, she could probably follow along if she bothered to pay attention to the vibrations of the other dancers.

"Get up."

"I just said no," Toph retorted. "Ya want a rock tossed at your head? Jeez, I'm blind, hello," waving hand in front of face here.

"Don't play that with me, I hear the stories. Besides, you get around like a person that can see, there's gotta be _something_ that lets you."

"She sees with Earthbending," Mai filled in. "She could probably follow along easy enough." ... not killing boss' daughter, not killing boss' daughter...

"Yeah yeah," Ty Lee added. "She sees with Earthbending, actually, it's pretty cool!"

"Shut UP Ty."

"What? You do! And it **is**!"

"Really... intrigued..." After a moment, Jet reached over and pulled her up, moving Ty Lee to the front and placing Toph in her spot. "Let's see then."

"Um, this is performed with burning sticks," Toph deadpanned.

"And?"

"And I can't see fire. Duh."

"You'll be fine. There are specific motions to follow, you can sense the motions right?"

"Um... I think?" Yes, but she really wasn't thrilled with this idea.

"Try. We'll give it a go, and if it really bombs, we'll change plans," Jet decided. He wandered off, giving them the space to do this, and clapped. "Okay, three, two, one..."

And all at once, the rows began to move. Toph, for her part, was a bit jerky and unsure at first, but, as the dance went along, her movements became more fluid, and, as she thought she would, she kept up just fine, given the time. Ty Lee, fortunately, was apparently a very good dancer, and a very good lead, and Toph found herself mostly focusing on Ty Lee's vibrations, singling her out and following her lead. It turned out she could, in fact, keep up just fine, and she could, in fact, sense the arm movements that would be controlling the torches.

"Okay," Jet interrupted again. "See, absolutely wonderful. Who taught you to dance?"

"Actually, no one," Toph shrugged. "Well, I did learn the basic waltz from my father, but that was a long time ago."

"You're bloody brilliant and I want you."

"Just this once," Toph replied, her tone firm. "And only because the one lady broke her leg. Next festival, you're on your own."

"Heh, challenge accepted." Jet smirked slightly. "Once a dancer, always a dancer."

Mental snort. He thought anyway.

* * *

**F**estivals were probably the stupidest things ever invented. That was Zuko's story, and he was sticking to it. Azula insisted he should go, for whatever reason. The last few years, he'd skipped out on them, mostly by virtue of just _happening_ to be out doing something away from the palace around the time the festival in question rolled around. This year, Azula insisted. And by insisted, we mean threatened.

Well, it wasn't so bad. He didn't **really** think Azula would dangle him from the balcony with a sheet, but, not testing her. She had a slight sadistic streak to her personality. Quite honestly, it was a little terrifying. It wasn't so bad, anymore. It'd been worse when they were children, and their grandfather, Azulon, was still a heavy influence on her. On the both of them, actually. And then one day he'd died, and their father ended Sozin's War, released the colonies, and, despite the initial resistance, the Fire Nation was doing rather well, now. But it'd been... what, ten years?

Anything worth anything is worth working for, or so.

"Please tell me," Azula's voice came from the doorway, "you're not wearing that."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Everything. It was made. It's a thing." Azula marched for his closet, digging through his clothing. "I'm sure you've got something classier to wear, brother. Come on, it's Lixia. The start of summer, when the Fire Nation is at its strongest."

"Isn't the Fire Nation strongest during a comet?"

"Oh brother brother, forget the comets. Comets are evil. Here, try this," she answered, and tossed him a maroon and silver shirt. He just barely caught it. Unfortunately, she happened to be facing his bad side.

"Maroon and silver?"

"I always thought silver looked better on you than gold. Makes your eyes pop a little more due to the contrast."

"Sure Azula." Whatever she said... girls...

"So, you know why you're going, right?" Azula asked, flopping onto his bed as he changed his shirt. "Why dad practically ordered you to go."

"He did?" Zuko was unaware of that little detail.

"Yep. Apparently," and a pause, as she cleared her throat and did her best Ozai imitation, "it is time my son become a man."

Zuko arched an eyebrow. "One becomes a man by attending Lixia?"

"No, silly. He's hoping you'll find a _girlfriend_."

Blink. For the record, that neat flush of pink across his cheeks? It was a lie. It was not happening. "And... he expects this amidst a festival at which it is generally assumed I will be making rounds and mingling?"

"Well, yeah," Azula shrugged. "Good chance to meet all the pretty ladies or something. Maybe you'll hit it off with one."

"I doubt it," Zuko replied, kind of mild. "Considering I'm 19 years old now and I haven't even bothered thinking about a girl that way. Girls are crazy, Azula."

"You seemed to like Mai."

"No," Zuko snorted. "Mai likes **me**. She wouldn't be so bad, if... she wasn't... so..."

"Boring?"

"Yeah, boring. I mean, nothing interests her!"

"You interest her."

"Obviously. But she has no hobbies, no actual interests, I'd like someone I can **do** things with, you know? Someone I can talk to that will actually listen to what I'm saying." A pause, as he looked over the shirt in the mirror. "... does this shirt make me look fat?"

"No, Zuko, it makes you look manly."

"Manly?" A head shake. "Anyway, it's not like I'm on my death bed or anything, I don't need to get married right this second."

Azula just laughed at him. "Oh silly, for the older one here, you're awkwardly naive. You need **heirs**, silly, you're next in line for the throne!"

"... anyone ever think I don't want it? I don't have your way with words."

"No, certainly don't," not that this statement was a little egotistical, but... "But, you've got plenty of other lovely leader-like traits. You're smart, you know, when you bother to think, you're a fairly nice guy when you reign in the temper, you're a good enough bender, you're funny, usually... even if the funny is merely a byproduct of being easy to irritate..."

"Okay, okay," Zuko interrupted. "Enough gushing over my many virtues."

Azula giggled. "Come on, I'm your sister, I'm supposed to make your life hell."

"Yeah yeah."

"And anyway, you never really know. Maybe you'll find a girl out there one of these festivals that likes you for you." A shrug, and Azula slid off the bed, heading for the door. "I have to go get ready too. Just give it a try. No risk, no gain."

Zuko let out a sigh, eying his reflection. "Yeah. By this time next year, dad will probably have to just arrange one. What a conversation, 'So sorry my father had to force you to marry me.' This bites."

* * *

**F**or the most important Fire Festival of them all, the procession certainly began rather quietly. Mai had seemed kind of upset that morning, keeping her words shorter than usual, and a bit blunter. Toph wasn't really worried about it. She was probably just butthurt about not being the special one anymore. Her parents seemed a bit unsure about letting their servant girl perform at such an important function, but, Jet had his ways, apparently, and had managed to talk them into it.

So, here she was, wearing something that was far too flowy and loose for her liking, carrying a torch, in Ty Lee's former place. The other girl was practically dancing already, as she led the procession forward. The royal family was silent, but one of them kept thunking what sounded like their head against the door. Apparently, whichever one that was didn't want to be there any more than she did.

They'd said the top of this hill was when they'd start. So, she tried to focus on that, and ignore the slight grumbling beside her. Once they reached the peak, Ty Lee stopped, the others stopping with her, and then all at once, the dance began. It was... a little more exhilarating than it had been the many, many times they'd practiced in the new formation. Mai was oddly stiff, Toph noted, and, once again, found herself singling Ty Lee out and following her vibration lead. Flowing with the rhythmic beat, following Ty Lee's steps, copying the arm motions to make the pretty multi-colored swirls of flame around the caravan. Why this had to be so showy, Toph would never really understand.

Strangely, the thunking stopped sometime after the dance started. Probably too busy watching the performance right outside the window to be so depressed.

Actually, he couldn't bring himself to look away. Azula, sitting beside him, noted him watching the girl just outside his door. Her eyes never focused on anything, and, oddly, the serene focus was... entrancing. There was no determination, no upset, just a calm, even expression, following along, fluid and effortless. Dancing, for a long while, had been banned in the Fire Nation. Not long after Sozin's War ended, Fire Lord Ozai had revoked the ban, revitalizing the fire festivals that had been tradition before Sozin's rule. And now they had dancing and music at all the celebrations. The people seemed to enjoy it.

Why was this so interesting? She wasn't really all that beautiful, Zuko wouldn't say. She had a rougher edge to her, the way she held herself, the way she moved, it was a very rough, unpolished grace, but he found it awfully breathtaking, mesmerizing, even. Her eyes were green, a very pale green. Blind? It seemed so. Perhaps from the old colonies, someone displaced, that no longer felt at home in the Earth Kingdom and joined the main bulk of the Fire Nation after the war. She knew manual labor, obvious in the roughness of her hands, the firmness with which she gripped her torch. Weren't Jet's girls usually nobility?

"Azula," he started, but she cut him off.

"Never seen her before."

"I see." At the very least, she'd apparently never attended the Royal Fire Academy. Not that he'd figured she would have. After a bit of watching, one hand raised, flicking his fingers. The flame of her torch swirled around, more so than it already was, almost like a snake. It took some manipulating, but, it eventually formed a dragon.

"Show off," Azula muttered under her breath. "She's clearly blind, put that back to normal before you hurt her."

"I won't hurt her." No. He wouldn't hurt her.

Soon, the procession came to a stop. The dancers fanned out, as the royal family exited the carriage. Zuko hesitated a moment, outside it, eyeing the girl that danced beside his door. He almost said something, but her ferocious whispering stopped him.

"Next time you decide to play with fire, pick one not attached to my torch, or it goes up your ass, still lit."

The words stunned him: no one had ever spoken to him in such a way. Especially if they knew he was the Fire Lord's son. Was she always that suicidal?

"Come on Zuzu, you'll miss the fun!" Azula exclaimed, reaching over and taking his hand, dragging him away before he could recover.

* * *

**S**he'd already decided, by that point, she wasn't fond of the son. Showy jerk could have gotten her hurt. Not that she expected royals to give an elephant-rat's ass about a servant girl, but, that was probably neither here nor there. And yes, she'd meant that threat, even if it _would_ get her imprisoned, or worse. Toph didn't think the Fire Lord would take very well to her acting on that particular threat. And she did realize, if he wanted to, he already had the power to get her in serious trouble.

Well, a jail cell might be better than dealing with serving ungrateful jerks all her life. No thank yous, no good job. No recognition whatsoever. That was the life of a servant. And for a long time, she'd been okay with that.

She wasn't sure what had changed. Maybe she'd just gotten older and realized exactly what she was doing, exactly what her step-father, Longfeng, had sold her to without a second thought. She'd been six at the time. It'd taken several more years for her to understand exactly what it was he'd done, exactly what he'd taken away from her. Once, she was a minor noble, like Mai and her family were. And he'd taken her father's estate, all his money, everything. Simply because her mother had died. That estate was rightfully hers, not his. Her father had passed it to her.

Alas, she was quite truly stuck here. And maybe it was alright that way.

She found herself a seat at a table, having plucked a cider from the table a bit away. Now that the dance was done, there was little else to do, and she'd lost track of Mai. Probably over there, cooing over that annoying git wearing the prince crown. Ha, she could probably roll that stupid thing into a ball. That was neither here nor there. Only a moment or two later, and someone sat next to her.

"Uh..." Oh. **Him**. "Hi."

"Not really interested in talking."

"I... I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Zuko replied, his tone rather sincere. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Toph arched an eyebrow, blank gaze seemingly staring across the table. "Not that big of a deal," she answered, with a slight shrug.

"Uh..." There was a pause. "So, I'm Zuko."

_Yes, idiot,_ she thought, _like I and everyone else here don't know that._ To be fair, he was probably just trying to be friendly. "Poppy." Her mother had been dead for over ten years, probably no harm in giving him that name.

"Oh. Poppy. Uh."

"Yeah, kinda pretty for someone like me huh."

"Yeah," he answered, a slight laugh in his tone. And then he realized what he said and made a slight strangled noise. "I - I mean no, it's... it is pretty yeah but..."

"Give up Sparky. Caught candid," Toph sing-songed.

"Sparky?"

"You don't think it fits? I do. Everyone gets a nickname with me." Which was the truth. She just didn't always use them. Not to their face, at least. It depended on who it was.

"Right. I can live with that." Well, good, because it wasn't changing for him... be nice, Toph. Why? ... because. Reasons. And jail probably wasn't as awesome as it sounded.

"Shouldn't you be over there with your fanclub?" Toph asked, jerking a thumb behind them. Zuko turned, eyeing the group of girls that direction, who giggled and waved at him. He made an odd noise, somewhere near exasperated.

"Um... probably. I... kind of wanted to talk to you though."

A derisive snort. "I'm not all that interesting, promise." No, she wasn't that interesting. In some ways, probably, but, well, he was a prince, and she was... nobody. There had to be laws against this or something.

"Maybe I want to decide that for myself." Maybe he did. Besides, she was probably a bit biased, having to live with herself and all that. One tended to think they were rather boring when they spent all their time with themselves.

"Sure."

"So uh. Do you always perform for -?"

"No," she answered, another snort in her tone. "I got conned into it. One of the regular dancers broke her leg."

"Oh." Zuko went quiet for a moment, presumably thinking. "Well, you're really good. Jet should keep you on permanently."

"If he did that," Toph smirked, "I might kill him. Dancing, it's not my thing. I just felt bad for them, accidents happen." Yeah, a little too conveniently. Actually, Toph was wondering if this... Keiya girl was nervous and broke her leg on purpose.

"We can't always choose what we're good at Poppy," Zuko replied, a bit mild. "Sometimes it chooses us."

Toph snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Who said we were on a first name basis?"

"I... well I -" Heh, he was cute when he was caught off-guard.

... probably not a healthy thing to be thinking. "You gotta earn that one Sparky."

"Er... well what do I call you til then?"

Thinking. Poppy, of course, was her mother's name anyway. She could give him her real name under the guise of a nickname, but, Toph out of Poppy? Yeah, no. Besides, she didn't want him finding her. It was safer this way. "Figure something out."

"I was kind of thinking Saucy."

A very hearty laugh answered. "I can think of worse."

Strangely, Zuko found himself smiling. He'd decided, somewhere in there, that he actually quite liked her laugh. It wasn't overdone, nor was it forced, it came out in its own time in its own pitch, whether anyone liked it or not. Even more strangely, his parents would probably consider her to be being rude, but, it didn't feel that way. No, it felt like... she was treating them like they were old friends. Like they'd always known one another, and neither was above or below the other. Even more strange, he found that a bit charming, for lack of better word. Perhaps charming wasn't the right one... well, no one said Zuko was a rhetorical genius.

"There you are," came a feminine voice, from the side.

"Azula, what -"

"We're supposed to be lighting the Sacred Flame, didn't dad tell you we're doing it this year?"

"Obviously _not_ if I'm staring at you like you lost your mind."

"Well, we're doing it this year. Come along, Zuzu, you can find your friend after, hi," Azula stated, taking Zuko's arm and practically dragging him off. Toph just gave a little wave.

"Stay, right there," Zuko asked, and then he let his sister drag him off.

Hmph. Stay, right here, huh? She should probably go. The last thing she needed was to get all caught up in the Fire Nation monarchy. Technically, she wasn't even really a citizen here, just... on an extended visit. That was what she told herself. She missed the Earth Kingdom, that wasn't any surprise, probably. She should go. Before she got caught up in something she wasn't sure how to handle.

That in mind, once their steps had faded away, Toph downed the last of her cider, and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

**A**zula had an iron grip when she chose to have one. That was a fact Zuko had already known, but it was nice to know that some things changed all the time... other things stubbornly remained the same. Kind of neat in a strange sort of way. That might make him a bit odd. Never mind. Brain, shut up.

"So," Azula started, "who was _that_?"

"Poppy." A pause. "We just met, don't get any ideas."

"Hey, mom and dad were strangers once too."

A little snort. "And you're crazy."

Azula shrugged. "Just saying. Certainly pretty. Bit of a rougher prettiness, what do you think?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're the one that was talking to her. Does she live around here?"

A shrug. "Don't know."

"Oh Zuzu, you're like a teenager. What if you can't find her again? How are you intending to make friends with someone you can't find?"

"I asked her to stay."

"Naive, too." Azula frowned, turning him around to face the table they just left. Sure enough, she was gone.

In a way, though, he hadn't expected her to stay. No, in a short few minutes, he'd realized a few things. One, he wanted someone that liked him for he was, not the office he held. Two, nothing and no one held Poppy down. She might be a hard one to keep a hold of, in any way.

And, for some reason, he was perfectly okay with that.

"You're smiling stupidly," Azula told him.

"Am I?"

"I'd figure you'd have been upset."

"Nah." He sounded a little amused. "Actually, I'm surprised she stayed as long as she did."

"You confuse me, brother."

"Hey, sometimes, I confuse myself."

The two climbed the stairs on the side of the platform the Sacred Flame's bowl was kept. The Sacred Flame symbolized the fires of Agni, the fire god, and the supposed overseer of the Fire Nation. It was a big deal when the flame was lit. So long as the Flame burned, it was said, the Fire Nation would prosper. It'd be a big problem if the fire went out just after being lit or so. Only the most powerful Firebenders were allowed to light it, as such.

This would be the first year someone besides the Fire Lord lit it. Azula was a prodigy, in many ways, it wasn't surprising she was chosen, but him? Zuko found himself wondering what the hell his dad had been drinking the night before. It wasn't tea.

"Good evening, everyone, might I have a moment of your time?" ... a bit odd, how pleasant their father was, and Fire Lord Azulon had been... well kind of a jerk. Kind of. Not entirely but kind of. He took his place beside Azula, at least attempting to _look_ like he belonged up there. "Tonight, as always since the end of the Hundred Year War, the Sacred Flame will be lit. Tonight marks the first time it is lit by one other than myself. My children, Prince Zuko and Princess Azula, will be doing the honors this year. And hopefully, within a few decades, we'll be announcing their children lighting it." A few in the crowd laughed. Yeah, it was well known, they didn't tend to get along with love and whatnot.

"Well, without further hold-up, may this summer be fruitful for us all." Azula made a nodding gesture, for Zuko to follow her, and he did. One on one side of the brazier, one on the other.

"How's this supposed to work?"

"Just copy me. I'll move slowly," Azula answered. A nod, and she did as she said she would, moving slow enough for him to follow her movements. Her blue flame mixed with his orange, and the brazier fwooshed to life, immediately crackling strong and bright. Azula gave him a lopsided smile. "Not bad."

"Heh, it lit because you lit it."

"Eh, you're not as bad as you think, Zuzu," Azula snickered, one arm draping itself around his shoulders.

"So, what's this I heard Ty Lee going on about? Some kid named Chan?"

"Ugh," Azula deflated, "he's an idiot, never speak his name again."

Zuko resisted the urge to snicker. "Sure."

* * *

**S**he trudged behind Ty Lee, following her to the prayer tree. It was apparently a big deal, this prayer tree thing, though Toph didn't quite get it. Then, she was a realist, and believed in paving her own destiny. Not very spiritual, Toph. But, well, if it made Ty Lee happy, whatever. Ty Lee was probably her first friend, ever. Before that, she'd sort of been friends with the neighbor children, and might have become friends with Longfeng's daughter, Jo Dee, but Jo was a bit... shallow. Like her father.

No, Toph didn't think much of them. The new Beifong family could go suck their own -

"Do you want to put one up?" Ty Lee interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh. Um. I'm not really into that stuff."

Ty Lee didn't press it, scribbling something onto her prayer ribbon. "I saw you talking to Prince Zuko earlier. What do you think of him?"

Toph snorted, shrugging a bit. "He's alright. Needs to get out more and he isn't really the hottest fire in the fireplace. But he's not bad I guess."

"Hehe. You're the most honest person I've ever met. It's kind of charming." Ty Lee stood, tying her ribbon to the tree. "Are you sure you don't want to put one up?"

"What's the point of them?"

"I think it's just a fun thing to do, really. They say, if your ribbon is still mostly in tact by Lichun, your prayer will be or has already been answered." A pause. "Well, they say anyway."

Toph really didn't believe in that sort of thing. "Okay, why not."

"Really?"

"Sure, nothing to lose."

"Yay!" Ty Lee shuffled off to find another prayer ribbon, and sat down beside Toph. And then, apparently, it occurred to her that Toph was blind and couldn't write on her own ribbon. "Er..."

"Eh you write it." Why not.

"Well, what should I write then?"

"Whatever sounds good?"

"Toph," Ty Lee rebuked. "This is **your** ribbon, not mine." Yeah yeah... hmm. Well, there were very few things Toph hoped for. But one always stuck out.

"For somewhere I belong."

There was a bit of silence, and, Toph thought she'd say something about it. But, instead, she wrote it down, and then handed her the ribbon. "Tie it up there."

Right. So, Toph stood, patting the branches to find a spot for it, and then tied it to the tree. When she was done, she sat back down. Ty Lee was quiet for a while, and Toph was kind of concerned she'd upset her friend. Ty was her only friend, after all.

"Sometimes, that's what I wish for, too."

That was a bit surprising. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Ty Lee replied, the usual smile in her tone. "I think everyone wants that, at some point. Someday, you'll find it."

"Think so?"

"I found where I belong. Heh, if I can find it, you can too."

"Maybe."

"I think Mai might have seen you talking to Prince Zuko, too."

That was a bit random. But not surprising that she'd felt it necessary to tell her, either. After all, everyone knew Mai was after him. She had dreams of being Zuko's wife or whatever. Toph didn't much care. "Not like I was flirting with him."

"Yeah, I guess you weren't. Just be careful, okay? Mai can be pretty vindictive when she wants to be, and you do serve her family and all."

"Eh, nothing to worry about. That's probably the first and last time I'll ever see him," Toph said, shrugging. And, it probably was. It wasn't like they ever had to speak again, and, probably, she wouldn't come to another festival again. Besides, she was just a servant. What interest would Prince Zuko have in **her**? Yeah, exactly.

"Anyway, I told Jet I'd help him out after the dance. Cleaning up or whatever. So I'll go that way."

"Sure Toph."

"See ya Ty." And she stood and shuffled that way. Before Ty Lee got in on the awkward questions or something. There wasn't anything to know, anyway.

* * *

"**A**nd make sure you get the cider stain someone left in the sleeve out," Mai was saying, tossing her clothes practically everywhere. But, like a good servant, Toph followed and picked them up. That was her job and all. So what if it was nice to have a normal life, whatever that is, for a few hours earlier today. It wouldn't happen again, most likely. She should really get her head out of the clouds and back down here. On the blessed, awesome earth that the spirits or whatever gave them.

There wasn't anything going on between her and Zuko. There was no hope of it, either. She wasn't even sure what she was thinking about it for, considering how stupid a thought it really was. Ty Lee was just letting her imagination run away with her, and, if Mai thought the same thing, she was too. Toph was Toph. Zuko was Zuko. And he was so out of her league, it wasn't even – actually, it was rather amusing, but, that was probably neither here nor -

"Toph."

"Huh?"

"Were you listening?" Mai seemed annoyed. ... did she say something important?

"... not really." Honesty was the best policy. She thought, anyway.

"Of course not. I said, I saw you talking to Zuko earlier."

Oh. Naturally. That was what she was annoyed about. "Oh?"

"What do you mean, 'oh'? Don't pretend there wasn't anything going on there."

Toph just shrugged, reaching down to pick up another shirt. "There wasn't."

"Look, you're a fairly nice girl and all, so I don't want to be hostile, but he's mine."

"Funny, because he wasn't acting like an already-claimed guy. And deciding he's yours, kind of takes two of you."

"What would you know? I bet you've never had a boyfriend in your life."

"That doesn't make me an idiot," Toph stated, flat. "But it's not like I want him."

"Good. Make sure it stays that way."

"Yeah, right on that, hey, heart," Toph tapped her chest a bit, "make sure you don't fall for the dunderhead. It says it'll try. I'm a servant, Mai, you've got nothing to worry about from me." Definitely not. Princely types, they weren't her thing. Seriously. They tended to be slightly self-absorbed and do stupid things. A **lot**.

And that? That was annoying.

"Whatever. Just don't be making any moves on him."

"Whatever you say, Sugar." Yeah, that was Mai's nickname. Kind of strange, wasn't it. She was anything **but** sugary. Rather the opposite, oftentimes. Toph called her that mostly within the hope that doing so would make her a bit sweeter in temperament. She'd get back to you if it ever started working.

For now, she had laundry that needed to be done. Shuffling down the hallway, of course. Toph had no idea where Ling was at the moment, so, she'd... have to find someone else to help her separate the colors. Pff. Fire Nation nobility: they were always such pains in the rear. Honestly, what the hell made Mai think she'd want to tie herself to one in holy matrimony or whatever the word was? Actually, Toph wanted to go back to Gaoling, kick her step-father's ass, and reclaim her father's estate and... Earthbend. Earthbending was fun.

These days, she got so little time to practice Earthbending, she probably tanked at it. Go figure. Maybe she should do something about that. After all, she was born an Earthbender and would die an Earthbender. May as well be a good one. "Kaede," as she sensed one of the other servants nearby, "are you terribly busy?"

"Not really," the elderly woman answered. "What's got you frowning?"

"I need to do the laundry again, and the last time I washed them without separating out the colors, Mai got upset."

"Ahh. Come on, I'll follow you and we'll separate them as we wash them."

"Thank you." It was ridiculous, wasn't it? Blind girls weren't made to do laundry.

* * *

**H**e'd given Azula something about being tired. Fortunately, his younger sister had let him be. Actually, he'd just forgotten something. Between Poppy and the Sacred Flame, he'd completely forgotten about his own prayer ribbon. If he was guessing right, it wasn't too late just yet. It was still Lixia, though it wouldn't be in a few more hours.

And that had led to him having a minor war with the remaining prayer ribbons. He didn't care what he wrote down, but, Azula kept insisting it was a very important part of Lixia, so he had to think about it first. Zuko... well, he wasn't much concerned about that destiny thing. He was more of a realistic, preferring to think that his destiny was something he could shape with his own choices and actions. But, on the off chance Azula was right and there was some cosmic goo or something guiding everything, maybe he'd take this one seriously.

Still, his mind kept wandering off to Poppy. She wasn't much like anyone else he'd ever met. Nobles, of course, were all stiff, and most of those around him tended to give him respect reserved for one of his station. Never had anyone ever been so straightforward and blunt with him. It was... probably a little odd, how he found he liked that. Azula was probably right. They were probably never going to cross paths again.

But, well... there wasn't anything against hoping they would, anyway.

Finally, he found something worth writing down. With quick penmanship, he scribbled the wish onto the ribbon, and then stood and headed down the hall, down the stairs and outside. The Prayer Tree was quite a sight after Lixia: covered in little pieces of white swaying in the wind, it looked, from a distance, that the tree had grown white leaves. Oddly, Zuko found that a bit calming, peaceful, watching the white dance among the green.

Lixia used to be his favorite celebration, mostly because watching his father light the Sacred Flame had been a highlight of his year. He wasn't sure what changed. Maybe, in the end, nothing did, nothing but his heart. The part of him that was still desperately searching for meaning, for a reason to wake up every morning, for a reason to keep trying and moving on.

Such depressing things to think of. He shook his head slightly, making his way through the courtyard to the tree. It took a few moments of searching, but, eventually, he found a place for his ribbon, and tied it there. A moment, watching it dance alongside its new friends, eying the many wishes of the Fire Nation, before he turned and went back in.

Yeah. Now more than ever, he could use to find where he belonged.

* * *

**Notes: **Okay, well. Aha. Back after... almost an entire two years... I got a full-time job somewhere in there and my life sort of slid out of my control, and then drama happened and blah blah no one cares, okay.

Glad to finally be re-releasing Monochrome. I've lost all my notes on it, so I'm rebuilding it from the beginning.

A few short notes:  
One; this time-line has changed the canon so that **Ozai** was the one that ended the Hundred Year War. Thus, Zuko and Azula had a relatively normal upbringing. ... I have no idea if Aang is even out of the iceberg at this point. Probably, because Toph's like 16.  
Two; I highly doubt Aang, Katara and Sokka will ever be seen. It may happen, but I'm not making promises. There are, however, plenty of others and many minors that most people don't touch in these in here that may sorta shock you - just remember this is so completely AU it's not even funny and ta da, it makes sense again. HAHA.  
Three; Zuko's scar was an accident this time. He forgot to duck.  
Four; Ursa and Ozai have a relatively loving relationship. It also completely ignores certain tidbits about Ursa and Zuko that were revealed in _The Search_ and of course ignores anything new added. They'll probably release _The Search Part 3_ before I finish Monochrome.  
Five; This is a Cinderella-inspired story. It may end up relatively similar to _Ever After_, as Danielle reminds me of Toph a good deal.  
Six; This story will span an entire year, each chapter covering one of the holidays on the Wheel of the Year. It makes sense to me, as they are mostly Celtic fire festivals, and it just stands to reason that the **Fire** Nation would celebrate **Fire** Festivals. They follow the path of the sun. They are named here in their Chinese equivalent, or as close as I could get.  
Seven; this is a Toko. Fair warning. It is neither Maiko nor Zutara. Also, keep that in mind as you read it if you're a Toko fan like I am cause it may seem like it's not for a while: I promise it works out in the end. ... Zuko's just a densey-dense-dense. If you're a heavy shipper of either, you may not find Monochrome much enjoyable. Just saying.

Lixia is otherwise known as Beltane, or May Day. It is often considered the official start of summer, hence the lighting of the Sacred Flame. In the real world, Agni's fire is relit every day, whereas here it's allowed to burn until the end of Qiufen in a very big, metal bowl.

Think that's it. Enjoy!


	2. Xiazhi

**XIAZHI**

"**A**rrrgh, how does someone just **not exist**?!" That would be Zuko, finally getting frustrated, apparently. Azula set her books down: the two of them had been going through various records, obtained from the Fire Sages, of tax payers. Nowhere in here was there a Poppy. You know what they say - a nation's most reliable records are their tax records. Apparently, even the Fire Nation's tax records tanked.

"We should tell father about this," Azula commented. "Look, I remember seeing this name on a gravestone last year. I highly doubt he's still paying taxes."

"Azula. I could really care less about the inaccuracy of the Fire Sages' tax records. No offense."

Azula sighed, sliding the large leather bound book out of her way. "Zuko, are you sure her name is Poppy?"

"That's what she said."

"Yes, well, I'm sure you really want to believe her, but right now I'm starting to wonder if she gave you a fake name."

There was a pause. "You think she would have?"

"You _are_ a bit intimidating." A pause. "And if she really did threaten you, then I suppose one might not want to get in trouble for it."

"I wasn't going to do anything about it."

"Well it's not like she knew that, all I'm saying." A shrug. "I think your best bet may be just hoping she's at Xiazhi."

"She only came to Lixia because Jet lost one of his dancers." A drawn out sigh, and Zuko slid down in his seat. "I'm never going to find her."

"Now, come on," Azula chided. "Let's think positive here."

"... I'm not known for my skill in the ways of positivity."

He really wasn't. "Well, you never know, maybe she _will_ come. You're awfully interested in this girl, Zuzu. It's a bit scary."

"I like the way she talks to me. You know? Like... I'm just Zuko instead of Prince Zuko."

"Interesting thing to find attractive. Your interest in females baffles me, brother."

"Remember what I said? Sometimes I confuse myself. And anyway, she's... interesting, she's got more to say to me than 'uhuh'. I didn't know a thing about her and we had at least a five minute conversation. That's really something to me."

Azula just nodded. "Okay. Whatever makes you happy. But, if you can't find this girl, don't be too broken up about it. If she gave you a fake name, I'll be surprised if you do ever see her again." Fair warning. And, Azula didn't like the idea of her brother moping about the girl that got away. "Is that what you're wearing?" A slight gesture at a pile of clothing nearby.

"Yes. ... you've got permission to go through it and replace everything if you want." He went back to the books, skimming through lines of names.

Azula took that as the cue to go over and look his choices over. Hm, not too bad. Not that she expected it to be particularly fantastic: Zuko wasn't known for his fantastic clothing choices, but, usually his decisions weren't too terrible. She just liked giving him flak.

"Fine enough."

A pause, as Zuko looked up from the rows of names, arching an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah. I can't think of anything better." Well, more like, anything she might have in mind would be too hot for the season. It was pretty warm outside as it was, being as this was the midsummer festival, a vest wouldn't do.

"Just... making sure you didn't develop a fever or something."

Azula laughed. "No. Just figured I wouldn't torment you this time. You've got plenty of other things on your mind." A short pause. "Just... don't drive yourself into the ground Zuzu."

"I won't."

"Ah, mom and dad would like you out for lunch today. They think you're being antisocial."

A derisive snort. "Yeah. I'll come then." There was a pause. "I'm not being antisocial."

Azula shrugged. "I know that. Maybe you should tell them about her. They might have some ideas we don't."

"I might." It was a viable option, at least. If nothing else, maybe they'd stop with the talk of grandchildren.

"I've got training to do. So, I'll be that way, if you need me."

"Thanks."

"No problem. And good luck. Seeming like you'll need it."

* * *

**H**e didn't make any headway after Azula had gone. It wasn't like Zuko had been expecting to make any, all things considered. Actually, it might be a bit strange if he'd found something she'd overlooked, or similar. Azula, after all, was the prodigy, not him. He wasn't what one would call stupid, but, not exactly the brightest, either.

Ah, but, he had somewhere to be, so, he put the rows of names and numbers away, for now. A quick change of clothing, and he joined his parents out in the garden for lunch. They were already talking when he arrived, so, he just bowed at the both and took a seat.

"Ah, Zuko, glad you could make it," Ursa smiled. "We were afraid you'd locked yourself in your room by accident."

... that was the hint to apologize for being rude, wasn't it. "Sorry mother, I've... gotten a bit occupied."

"By what?" Ozai asked.

"Ah... looking for someone," Zuko responded. "Girl I met at Lixia. Azula thinks she gave me a fake name. Nothing's coming up under the one she gave me."

"What are you looking through?"

"Tax records. It was Azula's idea. Oh, and she wanted to tell you, they're a bit inaccurate."

Ozai frowned a bit. "I see." Tax records, inaccurate, go figure. "Well, maybe you should go through the immigration records."

"We have those?"

"Of course," Ursa answered. "Since the end of the War, at least. If she's been here longer, I don't think we'd have record of it. Ah, unless she entered the Fire Nation through a regulated port?" Ursa turned to her husband for confirmation.

"Yes," Ozai confirmed. "If she came through a different port, or even not through a port at all, you won't find anything. But, it's worth searching through, if you want to find her so much."

"Her eyes are green," Zuko said. "I don't think she's Fire Nation, she may be in there."

Ursa frowned. "Earth Kingdom? Perhaps one of the colonies?"

"Perhaps," Ozai allowed. "Is this girl really that interesting?" An eyebrow arch followed the question. Confused Ozai was a bit confused.

"I think," was Zuko's response. "You or mom would probably think she's abrasive, loud and rude, but, I like her."

"Abrasive, loud, and rude," Ozai repeated. "Well that certainly bodes well for our lack of migraines in our old age."

"Ozai," Ursa intoned, a bit of a warning in the words. "If Zuko likes this girl, perhaps we should just be pleased he's finally found some interest in the opposite gender."

Once again, Zuko was not blushing. "Mom, it's really not that miraculous."

"We were certainly beginning to wonder," Ozai intoned. "Well, I hope you find this girl. She seems... interesting, at least."

"Interesting..." Zuko started, trailing off a bit, thinking. "Not the word I'd use," he decided. "I was thinking... saucy, confident, not afraid of bending the rules a little. But she _talks to me_, you know how Mai just sort of... sits there and occasionally drops a word or two that might, on anyone else, hint she's listening? She called me Sparky."

"Sparky?" Ursa repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"Not like it's a bad thing just... she called me Sparky. ... oddly endearing. ... does that make me strange?"

"... ye -" Ozai started. Ursa cut him off.

"Absolutely not."

Zuko just chuckled. "Yeah, it makes me strange. It's alright, normal's overrated anyway."

"It still seems like a bit of a strange, sudden thing," Ozai pondered. "Really, you're chasing after a fairytale. It doesn't happen that way in the real world."

Zuko shrugged. "You and mom met at a festival, didn't you?"

Ozai blinked. "... you were actually listening while I rambled about love at first sight."

Now that was funny. "Yes, yes I was." There was a pause. "And Azula already went over the don't be all broken up about it if you can't find her thing."

"Azula was right," Ursa commented. "It'd almost have to be a miracle if you find this girl again."

"Well," Zuko concluded, "there's nothing really wrong with believing in and hoping for a miracle, right?"

* * *

"**S**houldn't you be over there, helping Mai?" Ty Lee sounded a bit worried. Probably, the girl didn't want Toph getting in trouble for helping her instead of Mai. But, Toph just shrugged.

"I guess. But I think it's safer if I just stayed over here for now."

"Ooooh," Ty Lee started, the light seeming to finally turn on, "did you two get into a fight or something?"

"... or something." Noncommittal was the safer route of dealing with Ty Lee. Besides, she wouldn't really call what they had a _fight_, necessarily. It was just Mai waving a relationship that only existed in her head. It wasn't like Toph really cared. Prince Zuko was probably never going to speak to her again anyway, and it really didn't matter if he didn't. Nor did it particularly make a difference if he **did**. Naturally, Toph had attempted several times since Lixia to get this idea across to Mai, and the other girl wouldn't hear of it. She swore Toph was trying to ruin her chances of wooing the handsome young prince and having her happily ever after.

Yeah, because Toph really gave a fuck.

"Or something?" Ty Lee prodded. "Come on, don't leave me hanging like that! What happened?"

Toph shrugged. "She thinks I'm _trying_ to ruin her dreams of fortune and grandeur. Frankly, I couldn't give an elephant-rat's -"

"Toffee, there's Toffee," of course Jet was here. Why wouldn't Jet be here? Honestly, it made sense, he was the festival organizer. Some days, Toph wondered why and **how**, that was a good question, the strapping young daredevil rule-breaker had landed _this_ job of all jobs. ... it was probably the occasionally skimpy skirts the dancers dressed in. Nothing like that fine, sweet noblewoman rear end.

"Yes," Toph deadpanned. "And if you're going to ask me, again, if I'll replace Keiya, again, I'm going to tell you, again, suck it. So you may as well save us both the trouble and buzz off."

"Ooh, Toffee Toffee, someday, you'll make some very lucky, or gravely cursed, man a very worn out husband."

Interesting theory. "Actually, I thought I'd just pick a cave somewhere and live out the rest of my life dancing around a fire naked and talking to my imaginary friends. I'll have a herd of purple badgermoles as my companions."

"You'll need someone there with you, else you won't know the badgermoles are really purple," Jet stated, nodding.

"Oo, purple badgermoles, can you imagine how _cool_ they'll look?!"

"Yes Ty Lee," Jet and Toph responded, almost reflexively.

"You lucked out the last time, Jet," Toph said. "And I'm not a dancer. Dancing is not what blind people do."

"Blind people also don't do a lot of things you do."

"You're not winning this one. I can still whip you."

"Mm, yes, you do still owe me a rematch. No way you got away from my hook swords quite that easily my lovely little flower."

"Suck it, Jet."

"Okay," he responded, holding his hands up and backing away. "If that's the way you really feel about it -"

Of course, Toph's patience was about as thin as the air up in the mountains, and his perfectly rehearsed speech was interrupted with a short streak of earth. He, fortunately for him, noticed it coming before it hit him, and managed to dodge it.

"This isn't over," Jet whispered, in what he probably thought was a threatening tone. "You haven't seen the last of the Freedom Fighter." ... with that, he scuttled off to go feel up some of the dancers under the guise of checking their dress for mistakes.

Ty Lee giggled. "Sometimes, if I didn't know better, I'd think Jet had a crush on you."

"Yeah right. Maybe he does, but for all the wrong reasons."

"You know, it's like you intend to be alone all your life."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting security and peace of mind."

That made Ty Lee frown. "You can get that with someone else, too. It just takes the right person."

"Yeah, well, I don't know if you've noticed or anything, but I'm not exactly on the list of the Fire Nation's most wanted singles. And it really doesn't matter anyway."

"So, what if it happens?"

A shrug. "Then I guess it happens. In the meanwhile, you should turn around so I can finish what I was doing."

Ty Lee snorted, but at least she did turn back around. "Fine. But I'd better be maid of honor." ... just, not arguing. That was a safer route.

* * *

**T**he dancers made their way to the festival grounds. The crowd that had gathered was quiet and hushed, waiting. The dancing, as it was banned in the Fire Nation so long, was a particular point of interest of these festivals. The dancers came down the hillside, and then fanned out, in pairs of two, each one headed for a different pile of sticks and dried out hay on the hillsides. One by one, the balefires roared to life, given the flame of the dancers' torches, and bright colors and cheerfully crackling flames signaled the start of Xiazhi.

They said the preparations crew had designed the balefires with bits of powdered metal in them, causing the flames to change colors as they burned. One spat a stream of green flame out one side. Another spat purple. It was symbolic, of the new understanding of Fire, as not only destructive, but as nurturing, passionate, _alive_. The dancers regrouped, throwing their torches into the brazier to feed the Sacred Flame with, also dancing and curling around itself in a variety of different colors, and the drums began. With it, the crowd erupted into sound and activity, as Xiazhi fully began.

It was not, really, surprising when Mai began to pick her way over to him, weaving not-quite expertly through the crowd toward him. His smoldering amber gaze was, however, too busy seeking the small blind girl with the most striking pale green eyes he'd ever set his gaze upon. Probably, it was a bit ridiculous, how easily he'd become rather enchanted by her, but, they say that, when true love comes to you, you just know, in your heart, in your soul, that the other side of the fire of your life burns in them.

Silly, wasn't it. Zuko had never much placed weight upon the stories and fairytales told to young girls. Likely, those stories were woven just as much to entertain as they were to train those same young girls to marry without question. Did it make him a girl then, that he sought the other side of his life's flame? He'd given up, once, a long time ago, and somehow, 'Poppy' had all but reignited the search, the hope that, one day, his soul would find its other half.

... thinking so sappy-like wasn't getting him any closer to spotting her. "Hey Zuko," came Mai's unfortunately inevitable greeting.

"Hey," he answered. Sort of distracted sounding, a bit non-committal.

"Are you -?"

"Um," he interrupted, turning to her fully, "I'm actually a bit preoccupied, at the moment, sorry."

"Oh." Was that a flicker of disappointment he'd caught in her tone? Hmm. Must observe this mysterious behavior more. ... later. "With what?"

"Looking for someone, actually."

"Oh." And now it sort of sounded... angry. Hmm. "If you're looking for the blind dancer, she's -"

"No, actually," he started, his mind working very quickly to formulate a good diversion. "I'm looking for my sister." She, he knew, was on the other side of the festival, probably showing a few dudes up in an archery contest.

"Right."

"Would you mind helping? We'll cover more ground if we're both looking. I'll stay here."

"Sure," she answered, and then shuffled once again into the crowd. As soon as he was sure she was gone, he, too, slipped into the crowd and vanished.

Only to nearly run into Ty Lee. "Oh! Hey Princey!" ... you know, she was a lot more pleasant and interesting to be around than Mai. How the hell were they friends again...?

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to -"

"Oh it's okay. Hehe. Oo, you look a bit lost. What's up?"

"Looking for someone," was his once again non-committal answer. Or, at least, he hoped that's what it came out as, and not something else. Like, desperate.

"Oh goody!" Ty Lee chirped, "search party!" And suddenly, she became somewhat serious. Somewhat, as Ty Lee didn't entirely _do_ **serious**. Her voice lowered as she asked, "the little blind dancer?"

"She's not that little," Zuko answered. "Don't tell Mai."

"Oh I won't. You didn't hear it from me but, she's at the docks." A short nod, intended to confirm her statement, followed.

"Oh." ... note to self, ask Ty Lee more often. "Thanks. Hey, what's her name?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"She gave me Poppy."

A frown. If Ty Lee remembered right, that was the girl's mother's name. Strange, that she'd give him that name. "Well, I know her real name, but, it may be better if you didn't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll understand eventually, oo! Azula!"

"Ty Lee!" Zuko spat, whirling around to follow her movement as the girl bounced off toward Azula.

... "Girls are crazy." Well, on the bright side, he'd gotten one answer. Now, he supposed, he could go ask 'Poppy' about it.

* * *

**O**ne would think, being as Toph was blind and all, she'd abhor sticking her feet in the water this way. But, she could still mostly see; her palms held her up, flat against the dirt, the water barely high enough to dip her toes in. She could hear the festival from here, along with the rowdiness of the Fire Nation's navy, presumably having a festival of their own aboard the ships. If she could ever be something besides what she was, maybe she'd be a pirate.

... okay, no, scratch that, ships, **ugh** _ships_.

Somehow, the footfalls that approached weren't all that surprising. Still, she gave a mental sigh, wondering how he'd managed to find her this far away from the festival grounds. He stopped, just beside her, his boot not quite in danger of ramming against her hand, and then shuffled around in place, and crouched down beside her. It was quiet, for a good long while, before either of them dared to break the silence.

"So," Zuko started, "you gave me a fake name."

There was another pause, shorter than the first, granted. "Yes."

"Do I want to know why?"

"Oh, Sparky, sometimes a woman needs to keep hold of her mystery."

Strangely, he seemed amused by this. "Mystery, huh?"

"I'd become far less interesting if all of a sudden you knew everything about me." Well, she thought, at least.

He wouldn't tell her how, since Lixia, she'd managed to, with a single, ten minute conversation, completely invade his mind. He wouldn't tell her how, somehow, he saw her eyes in the stars every time he looked up at night. It seemed so stalkerish, and, actually, a bit desperate.

But, more than anything, he wanted to know her, wanted to know everything he could learn, wanted to know the little things, the things she liked and hated. He was drawn to her at least that much.

"Welp, I suppose I'll need to begin unraveling your curious veil of mystery, dear lady."

An amused chortle. "Sure," Toph easily agreed, "if you think you can take it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey, some ladies, really aren't so lady-like." And, as if to make a point, she pulled her legs up and sat like a man.

"For some reason," Zuko answered, "I'm okay with that."

"... really? I'd figure since you're a Princey guy and whatnot you'd get along better with a charming lady-like... well, lady."

Ah, now that was cute. "Ah, actually, believe it or not, my mother has her moments. Most are surprised by that, she's so reserved and regal, but, once in a while, she and dad will get to talking about something and then the next thing I know they're chasing each other around the hallways."

Perhaps in spite of herself, Toph found a smile creeping its way across her features. "That's kind of cute, Sparky."

"Yeah, I always thought so too." As... strange as it occasionally was. And, slightly creepy because if they did that in the hallway, just imagine what they did behind closed - you know what, next subject. "Uh. So, where are you from?"

"Earth Kingdom." A short pause, and she added, "not the colonies just the Earth Kingdom. Ah, after a point I guess the Fire Nation sounded safer than the Earth Kingdom."

He tried not to frown, he really did. One slipped out anyway, a tiny bit. "The war's been over for years now. Why not go back?"

Toph shrugged. "Honestly, don't know. Maybe the Fire Nation just kind of became home." Actually, it was anything but, ah, though telling the Fire Nation's Prince that his nation sucked and she would happily get the hell out of here if given the chance... bad form, rather. And it'd probably lead to uncomfortable questions.

Fortunately, Zuko seemed none the wiser about the things she didn't say. "Well, we've still got a long way to go, but, that's kind of heartening to hear."

"It should be. I'm rather picky about where I stay." ... well, she was. She just didn't have much choice in the matter. Though, these days, running away was sounding better and better. The last one she'd run away from had sprained her ankle.

"So," Toph started, thinking they'd probably better change the subject before she said something she didn't want to, "I hear the balefires are particularly pretty to look at."

"I can think of a few other things that are prettier to look at," Zuko answered. ... she was not blushing, for the record. He, unfortunately, noticed the slight flush and chuckled. "But yes, they are. They're sprinkled with metal dust, so that they'll burn different colors."

"What's it look like?"

The question sort of caught him off guard. He didn't think, being as she was blind, she'd have much interest in what it looks like, and, he had no experience explaining what a fire looked like. Especially not in a way that a blind person could understand what he was talking about. Hm. Well, he could try, he guessed. "Um. I've never explained it before, I don't... know if it'll make any sense."

"Try anyway," Toph replied. ... okay, but if he bombed at it, she asked.

"Ah... well, I suppose they kind of look like life to me. Fire burns in a very chaotic way, when left to its own devices. The flames dance around in no order or pattern, sometimes flaring at random, uh flaring is kind of like -"

"I know the word," Toph interrupted.

"Right. So it moves around with no pattern. Sometimes, I think life is like that, with the random flares and sparks, no warning, it just happens. I suppose color is a hard concept to understand if you've never seen it before. Um. I think the scholars these days are saying color is just another form of light or something. Suppose then, it kind of makes sense that fire, as it gives off a lot of light, would come in a lot of different colors. Since the fire consumes the entire bale, rather than a bit at a time, some sections are one color and others a different one. ... did that even make sense?"

Toph smiled a bit. "Not a damn word."

"Well," Zuko snorted, "I tried I guess. I just suck at this."

"No," Toph shook her head, "It was interesting to listen to." And the slight glimpse, even if it made no sense to her, into what fire meant to him, which was nice. For her it was a scary thing, something she couldn't control or understand.

"Come here," Zuko said, scooting a bit away from the dock, and holding his hand out for her. She hesitated, of course. He laughed a little. "I'll show you."

"Show me what?"

"Just come here. I won't hurt you."

After a few moments, she eventually scooted over to him, sitting in front of him. He held his hand out, bending a very small flame in his palm. The other took one of hers, and moved it to the very edge of the heat the flame gave off. "You can feel the heat, but not the light. Strangely, heat and light tend to kind of go hand in hand. Fire can be gentle, calm, or it can be angry and consuming. The Fire Nation used to feed their Firebending with anger. When the war ended, dad changed that. I think, Firebending thrives best on happiness and love."

A little giggle escaped. "You sound like a sappy romantic."

"So what if I am?"

Er... awkward turtle-duck... "Um," she started, pulling her hand away. Zuko took the cue and the fire went out. "I think I might go get some cider, it's a bit... well insanely hot around here."

An amused sound, not quite a laugh but almost, escaped him. "Yes, I suppose it is. But you know what, you're the lady, even if you don't think of yourself as one. I'll go." With that, Zuko stood, brushing himself off a bit. "And this time, Saucy, please stay."

"Toph." It slipped out before she could stop it. ... damn it all.

"Toph?"

"My name. It's Toph."

For a moment, he was quiet, perhaps mulling the name over. Then, with a slight smile in his tone, he said, "Toph. Suits you loads better than Saucy." He turned, heading back toward the sounds of the festival, presumably intent on that cider.

* * *

**H**er brother was practically _skipping_. That was... awkward, on so many levels. So, naturally, Azula pulled herself away from the archery range off to the side and made her way over to Zuko, who was quite thoroughly glowing.

"Hey," she started as soon as she got close enough, "did you catch a fever or something?"

"Her name is Toph," he promptly informed her. "Toph. That's her."

And for a moment, Azula was silent, trying to figure out what the - oh! The girl. The dancer girl. Her name really wasn't Poppy then. "Right. Well, I'm glad you have her actual name -"

"She's not from the colonies though. She said she's from the Earth Kingdom. Said that the war got bad enough she relocated over here to duck under it." Well, not in those words, but, basically.

"Ah." ... and yet the war had been over for a good while now and she was still... not questioning it too hard. "Strangely, here probably was one of the safest places to go." The battlefront, of course, never made it back across the Mo Ce.

"Anyway, I gotta jet, I only came over for cider," Zuko said, raising the two glasses as a means of explanation, and then skipped off, leaving Azula only a little puzzled. This girl was getting more and more interesting as the festivals went by.

Some minutes later, Zuko sat down beside Toph again, handing her one of the two glasses.

"Thanks," she said, half mumbled.

"And thank you too."

"For what?"

"Not running off."

Yeah... um, that might be something to thank her for, yes. "You're... welcome. I think."

"You think?" He sounded amused.

"Well, I'm not sure if this is the part where I run screaming for my mommy toward the hills or not."

A laugh answered. "I'm not that bad."

"Hey, you're practically a stranger, how do I know that?"

"Well, the nation's relatively peaceful?"

"Ah, yes, because one's father's actions are properly representative of one's own." A slight smile graced her features. "Nothing personal, but, your father is Fire Lord, not you. The nation is peaceful because he made it so."

For a moment, she was sort of concerned she may have overstepped, but, he snorted, quietly. "Yeah. You're right." There was a bit of quiet, Toph sipping at her cider, Zuko swirling his around. "Would you like to dance with me?"

And she damned near choked on that cider.

"Whoa, sorry," Zuko said, patting her back slightly in hopes of helping her recover. "You alright?"

"Fine," a bit terse. "Did I hear that right?"

"... um. I know it's a bit random I guess and you said at Lixia dancing's not really your thing but..."

That was... odd. An eyebrow quirked upward, and her head tilted slightly, in apparent confusion. "Wait, you remember that?"

"Should... should I not?" Now Zuko was the confused one.

"No I - well, I guess you shouldn't, technically, it's a bit strange but..." And now she was rambling. He actually remembered what she said. He'd been listening to her. Well of course he was, that was generally what remembering tended to require. Ah, that was a very odd feeling of... elation? Someone besides Ty Lee actually _listened_. And, apparently, she'd made enough of an impression on him that he remembered it beyond a few hours.

To say yes... or... well, she could dance, clearly, she just didn't like to. It tended to require removal of ones feet from the sweet, blessed earth, especially when dancing with someone else. And Toph did not do that. There was a shift of motion where he was, and he moved away for a moment, before coming back, kneeling in front of her and sliding something in her hair. It smelled like...

"This is a fire lily," he explained. "Fire lilies aren't much anything like fire, except their colors, but they're believed to be symbols of purity and passion. They're a favorite of artists and poets. Please, just one dance."

Yeah, she knew what a fire lily was symbolic of. ... he really was a bit of a sap. That was okay though. It was actually kind of charming. "Alright," she eventually sighed. "But you swing me around and I'm going to nut shot you so hard."

A slight wince. Somehow, he didn't doubt her words. He shifted again, holding his hand out. "Shall we?"

"Don't make me regret this," she grumbled, reluctantly placing her hand in his and rising with him.

"I won't. ... or, well, I'll try not to."

"You do know how to dance, right?" Just checking. But, he was royalty, he'd probably at least learned how to -

"You wound me," he half-heartedly pouted, before gently pulling her into a relatively slow dance, around in a circle, careful not to destroy any more of the fire lilies. They only bloomed around this time anyway for a few weeks. "I am, after all, a Prince. It is my job to know how to do things like sweep lovely women off their feet."

A slight snicker escaped her. "Sure it is."

Being this close to him was almost enough to make her dizzy. He had an odd smoke-like scent, rather heady but not overpowering, with an undertone of something sweeter, all mixing with the scent of the fire lily in her hair. At least he didn't talk much when dancing, apparently, because she was sure she wouldn't make any sense at the moment. Instead, she just focused on moving around in the circle with him, taking care not to misstep.

"I meant that."

Toph arched an eyebrow again. "Meant what?"

"You're very lovely, Toph. In more ways than the one."

"And you're so out of my universe, it's insane."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He hesitated, for just a moment, but it was long enough for Toph to detach herself from him.

"I should go. Thank you, for the dance." She gave a short bow, and then turned to leave, but her hand caught her wrist.

"Wait, will you be here for Liqiu?"

"I don't..."

"Please come."

She didn't want to tell him she'd do something she wasn't entirely sure she could. There were always so many things for a servant to do, it probably wasn't all that surprising her schedule for the next festival was a bit in the air. All over the air.

Eventually, she sighed. "I'll try."

"Thank you." And then he did something weird and kissed her hand. ... why would he - just... not focusing on it too much. It only served to confuse her more than she already was. And butterflies... another bow, and she turned again, and this time, he let her go, her slightly smaller hand sliding out of his easily.

And he hoped, probably more than he'd ever hoped for anything, that she did come back.

* * *

**H**e'd disappeared, and so had the little blind bat. That irritated Mai, more than she'd really care to admit. She'd found Azula, of course. Over at the archery range to one side. But, she'd lost track of Zuko, by the time they'd gotten back over there, and Azula went back where she was, leaving Mai to scan the crowds in confusion and probably what was as close to irritation as she could possibly get.

Ah, Ty Lee. "Ty Lee," Mai called. Fortunately, the girl heard her, dipped a little in a bow to the male she'd been dancing with (he looked stupid, no harm), and shuffled over to the other girl.

"Yes?"

"Have you seen Zuko?"

Ty Lee shook her head. "Nope." ... there was a strange uneasiness with which she said that, that made Mai think otherwise.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." A nod accompanied that one.

"Ty Lee, we're friends."

"Yes? I honestly have no idea! If I did know where he is, I'd tell you."

"Alright then," Mai started. "Where's the blind brat?"

A very upset sigh answered first. "She has a _name_ Mai, it won't kill you to use it. And I don't know where she is either."

"I know she has a name," Mai replied coolly. "I don't like using it."

Not going to argue with her, Ty Lee was. It just wasn't worth the fight. She thought, maybe Mai found it easier to deal with it, the idea that maybe Zuko and Toph were missing and they were missing _together_, by stripping Toph of her humanity in her mind. Still, it wasn't like, even for all the years they'd known one another, Zuko ever really seemed interested in her back.

Frankly, Ty Lee thought it nearly a miracle the Prince hadn't turned tail and run every time he'd seen her. He was cute, sure, but, Mai knew so very little about him, and they had pretty much nothing in common. Or, at least, that was the way Ty Lee saw it. She might be wrong.

"If they're together, I think I should talk to her about it."

"And... say what, she's not allowed to enjoy a festival?"

"She's not allowed to make moves on Zuko."

Ty Lee arched an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because I love him. What other reason would there be?"

"Doesn't seem he loves you, Mai."

"You take that back."

"Telling you like it is, as a friend. I'm telling you the truth, rather than what you want to hear. Besides, it's a festival, these things happen. You act like the world's going to stop and hold still just for you."

Mai was quiet for a moment, her gaze turning elsewhere. "It's just hard to get anywhere with him if he's never here."

"Well, Mai, maybe that's your sign. The sign that tells you, he's really not that interested in you."

"Oh shove off." Mai turned and wandered off then. Hm. This whole thing could end rather tragically, if Mai didn't learn to let Zuko be who he was rather than the modified version of him in her head. She couldn't even call that version of him 'glorified,' as really, that version only existed to spend at least half his life fawning over Mai.

Okay, to be fair, she wasn't _that_ selfish, but she was starting to sound like she was. Really, though, aside from just trying to help Zuko and Toph along, as they seemed to be rather interested in one another, there wasn't much about this she could do. All there was to it, and Ty Lee would just have to make sure to be there to help pick up the pieces if this shattered into a million of them.

It was sad to think that, really, it may very well do just that. And all because one of them couldn't let go.

* * *

**T**y Lee had eventually decided, after watching Mai weave through the crowd, presumably still searching for Zuko, to return to watching Azula at the archery range. Perhaps unsurprisingly, or at least it shouldn't have been surprising, Azula wasn't there when she got back. Now it was her turn, apparently, to wander about like a lost pup -

"There you are," came Azula's voice. It was a bit unexpected, and Ty Lee rather gracelessly squealed and jumped.

"Oh, jeez don't scare me."

Azula seemed amused. "I do apologize. I was looking for you."

"Ha, I was looking for you."

"You seem a bit upset."

Ty Lee shook her head. "Not too much. ... well, I guess I am." Technically speaking. "This whole thing is just -"

"What thing?"

"Maybe we'd better find a seat somewhere."

With that, Ty Lee shuffled through the crowd again, Azula following, and found a place off to the side to sit. Fortunately, the cider bar wasn't too far away, so she pointed at it, and stood, returning a moment later with a few glasses. One she handed to Azula.

"Thank you," Azula intoned.

"Ah, you're welcome. That's what friends are for."

"So they are. Toast to friends?"

"Heh, toast to friends," Ty Lee agreed, and their glasses _tink_ed together quietly, before both sipped a bit.

"Well," Ty Lee started, "have you noticed Zuko's apparent obsession with this girl?"

"Ah, the blind dancer?"

"She's not actually a dancer. But that's the one."

"I've been helping him, or trying to help him, find where she comes from. He says he thinks she's the one or something. How does he even know that, they've just met?"

"Well, they met last festival, so, technically, not _just_ met, but pretty close huh?"

"Indeed," Azula drawled. "... what do you know of this?"

"I know Mai doesn't like it."

"Of course Mai doesn't like it, Zuzu's attention is on someone other than her." A short pause. "... never really struck me as the jealous type, however."

"Oh she can get pretty vindictive," Ty Lee half-giggled. "It's actually a bit scary."

Azula shook her head. "Never mind her. Are you friends with this girl? What's she like?"

"Jeez Azula, be more open about your curiosity, would you?"

"Oh come on, I'm his _sister_, it's my **job**, or, well, one of them. The other is teasing him relentlessly and making his life miserable."

"Lovingly miserable, I should hope."

"Of course. Now about this girl...?"

Ty Lee sighed. "Well, I can't tell you too much. She comes from the mainland Earth Kingdom. Actually," Ty Lee shifted up, leaning closer to Azula, "I can't tell you the details, but she's not what you think."

"... how are you really going to say that and leave me hanging?"

"Very easily actually. Look, she's got a lot of things in her past I don't really understand. She is an Earthbender though. She sees through Earthbending, something she calls seismic sense. Like... sensing vibrations, I think she said, through the ground and any earthy floor substance like stone, she can pinpoint where everyone is and their general stance and whatnot. That's partially how she's a good dancer, she follows the other dancers' movements through Earthbending and copies them."

A slight frown. "That's... a very unique skill. Father would be very pleased with her mastery."

"I'm sure he would be," Ty Lee agreed. "She hasn't had the time these days to continue refining her abilities, but she says she learned Earthbending straight from the badgermoles."

"No kidding?"

"No kidding." Ty Lee sat back down. "She's stubborn, prideful, very independent, got a hell of a mouth on her... if nothing else, I'm sure she'd match Zuko's fire just fine."

Azula made an amused sound. "Sounds it. You think they've got a chance?"

"I'm betting it. Just watch, I give it until Lichun, they'll make it official."

"Lichun you say? Hmm..."

Well, maybe they would. Quietly, the other girl slipped back through the crowd, before either of the two girls noticed. Yes, maybe they would make it official by Lichun. But this was presuming Mai intended to let them.

* * *

**O**h, ow, there was a wall there. Graceful, Toph, let's just slam right into the wall. Even better, it wasn't as if she were drunk. ... not literally, anyway. Some part of her was still somewhere back there, in the meadow near the festival, dancing with...

She really shouldn't get so caught up in this. He was a _Prince_ for the spirit's sake, and she was just a scullery maid. Worse, technically, she still owed Mai's family over 600 gold pieces. That was her purchase price. The meager amount her step-father had gotten for her, and the insanely high amount everyone that owned her after that paid for such a rude, unruly servant. And she'd stay one of those, because Prince Zuko could do better than her.

This damnable fire lily in her hair, it seemed to be taunting her, reminding her that, clearly, Prince Zuko didn't think that. Yet, anyway. Eventually, he would change his mind, Toph was sure. And then there she'd be, having to deal with watching Mai marry him and wishing she was her. Of course, Toph tended to wish she was anyone but herself as it was, so perhaps that wasn't all that surprising in the end.

But she didn't have the heart to take the lily out, either. It was... kind of sweet, how stubborn he was about getting to know her. This was something, she thought, she could get used to, given the time.

"Finally back, I see." Toph froze in the entrance hall. Mai, of course. She had little issue recognizing voices.

"Yes." She wasn't afraid of Mai. No, and she never really would be. The worst that happened was, she'd be sold again and that'd be the end of that. Not like it mattered.

"Took you long enough, considering you weren't supposed to be doing anything but waiting for me."

"You were a bit busy," Toph answered, her voice strong. "I figured while you were off having fun, I'd go entertain myself."

"I see." One thing about the blind bat, she did have nerve. Quite a bit of it. Yet for some reason, Mai was the only one that saw her backbone in this house. Her parents appeared to either never see it, or completely miss it. "You don't have to lie. I know where you were."

"I see." Yes, she was in fact mocking Mai, just a bit.

"Listen to me you little runt," Mai started, closing the space between them to lower her voice, to what she probably thought was a threatening tone. Toph just found it funny. "**I** will be the one that marries Zuko. You cease prancing around in front of him and distracting him."

"Or what? Ya gonna whip me? Bring it."

"I can do far worse than that. Quit testing my patience. You're not allowed to attend the festivals anymore, and if you dare to anyway," a hand reached over, snatching the lily out of her hair and crushing it, "you'll wish I'd whipped you." She stayed where she was for a moment, before turning on her heel and stalking into the hallway, presumably toward her bedroom.

Not that Toph cared where the hell she went. "Two can play that, bitch." ... funny how defensive she was getting. As Toph had initially thought, Zuko would change his mind eventually, and Mai would win in the end. And it wasn't as though Toph cared. She didn't want Zuko anyway. Princey types, they were always a handful, as it was.

It didn't matter. Toph didn't care. And maybe, if she kept telling herself that, it'd become the truth, because she shouldn't care.

* * *

"**S**he _danced_ with me, 'Zula! It was the most... amazing - and when our hands touched, I knew, I knew it was her -"

For a moment, not intending to be rude of course, Azula tuned him out. Zuko was straight gushing, and, really, it was a bit freaky. If she ever found someone that didn't strike her as a complete and utter idiot, and she did this, please, just... put her out of her misery.

"How do you _know_, Zuko?" She finally asked, breaking his rambling tanget. "You hardly know this girl. For all you know, she could be a criminal."

"She's not," he responded, rather terse and almost defensive. "She's... she's not. I just know, you know, like... how you wake up in the morning and you know, just by the feel of the air, or something, that it'll rain?"

"Love doesn't work that way, Zuzu."

"Well maybe not in your universe. In mine, yes it does."

A groan, and Azula pressed a hand to her temple. "Zuzu, I just... I'm worried, okay? I don't want you... well, getting caught up in something you don't fully understand."

Zuko frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," a head shake, "Ty Lee wouldn't tell me the full of it, but I don't want to be picking up the pieces afterward is all."

For a moment, both were quiet. And then, Zuko sighed, shuffling over to sit beside his sister. "I know," he said, softly. "And if it were the other way around, I wouldn't want to either. But, it's part of being alive, you know? Taking chances, even if that chance is riding on a 50/50 chance of it really, really fucking sucking if it turns out wrong. I like her, 'Zula. She's smart and spunky, and... she talks back to me and treats me like I'm a person. And I know you're used to being priviledged and probably don't understand the draw to that..."

"I really don't," Azula answered, sounding a bit amused. "But, you know, if she really makes you this happy, maybe I can just... be happy for you."

"I would be a little concerned if you suddenly changed your tune. But it would mean a lot to me if you did."

"Just be careful. Unfortunately, our station sets us up for a lot of trickery. And I don't want this to turn out to be just an elaborate trick."

"I know it does." There was a pause. "But, you know, uncle says we're not really any better than anyone else in the end. We were just born lucky, is all."

"I guess." A shift, as Azula hugged him. "Remember what I said. And good luck with this girl of yours, she at least puts you in a very good mood. We should get some sleep."

Heh. He hugged her back, rather easily. "Yeah, probably. Unfortunately, I'm a bit wired."

"Love drunk, is that the term?"

"Not sure I would call it love just yet. At least a crush. A very big crush."

"Fair enough. Good night Zuzu," and she stood and headed for the door.

"Night 'Zula."

Yeah. A very big crush indeed. A little startling, really. But he wouldn't question it, just follow the road until it stopped somewhere. And he was looking forward to learning where this road led him.

* * *

**Notes:** And here we go, the 'ball' scene. Lol. I'm sure we'll get a few more of those though, soon as we get into the winter months and outdoor festivals aren't quite so practical. I'm planning on a masquerade for one of them. That'll be fun.

Yeah. Um. Lol Ozai and Azula are awwwwkwarrrrd. I keep thinking But Azula is crazy and Ozai is a JERK! But no he's not. Yes he is. NO HE'S NOT - AAAAAHHH MOTHER LAAAAAND!111one *mental meltdown*

Xiazhi is the summer solstice, or midsummer. This is usually on June 20, 21, or 22, depending on precise sun location, and of course hemisphere, and it is the longest day of the year, barring at the poles. Poor poles. Probably the most important of the solar festivals for the Fire Nation. The sun would be either just barely in Gemini, an air sign, or just having entered Cancer, a water sign. Does anyone else see the irony there because I do?

Ah, right. The metal dust idea came from fireworks. Fireworks, in the real world, are made with various mineral compounds in them to give them their color. If you slip a bit of copper sulfate or boric acid, for instance, into an open flame, the fire will turn green. Maybe that's how they did the green fire in Harry Potter for the Floo Network? Lol Probably not, it was probably computer generated. Anyway. If you've ever owned a gas stove, you'll note that gas stoves burn blue. Then, as dust particles in the air "crash" into the flames, they spark the more common orange-red. An example of how fire can change colors based on what's in it.

Also, unlike with Like the Sun, this one has no other background thing going on, it's just a straight romance story. I have a few other Toko fics in mind that will have other things with it, assuming my mind ever fleshes them out any, but, it should. Toko appears to be my A:TLA OTP. I am totally okay with that.


	3. Liqiu

**LIQIU**

**I**t was always so depressing. Every time someone asked her to help with this or that for the upcoming festival, and she was reminded about her inability to go herself. It was stupid, so thoroughly stupid, and he was a twit anyway. What did it matter if she never saw him again? Probably, it'd be best for the both of them, if they went their ways now. He was a Prince, a perfectly imperfect, ineloquent, hot-tempered twit. And she, well, she was an unyielding, independent, loud-mouthed servant. What business did they have even being in the same _room_ as one another? None, whatsoever.

"You're being quieter than usual," Ty Lee commented. "It's a bit upsetting. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Toph answered, her voice tighter than usual. Ty Lee was having issue believing this, a fact apparent in the way her stance shifted. The problem with having friends was, some of those friends got close enough to you to figure out when something was honestly wrong with you. Toph would much rather sulk in that dark corner of her mind and pretend nothing was wrong at all.

"We've been friends for years now, you don't honestly expect me to believe that, do you?" There was a pause, as Toph focused on stringing the wheat skirt properly. This was stupid, it was stupid, _stupid, __**stupid**_, and we weren't dwelling on it.

"I'm honestly fine. Just a little distracted is all." Ty Lee didn't like that answer, but, she didn't push.

But then it became even more apparent that, Toph really wasn't alright. Several times, her hands slipped, and she fumbled, and Toph never fumbled. Eventually, Ty Lee sighed, catching her hands in her own. "Come on, what is it? Did Mai say something?"

A loud snort answered, and Toph jerked her hands away, shuffling away from her. After a moment, she came back, and the prior depression had been replaced with anger. "What the **hell** is her problem? It's like she thinks the whole spirit-damned _world_ suddenly revolves around her because the Fire Lord is finally looking for a wife for his son and that, of course, can be no one but her. She doesn't even **give a fuck** about how he feels about it, how _dare_ she claim she loves him? Bullshit! I bet she doesn't know _anything about him_! And why do I care? Huh? Why does it fucking matter to me, spirits I shouldn't give an elephant-rat's ass and this is just this is... this is ridiculous, I'm a freaking servant, Ty, I shouldn't **care** and I've never cared so much about anything in my _life_!"

She went quiet. Ty Lee had no idea what to say. She'd never heard Toph be so frank before, and, for all that the tone was angry, it also sounded... heartbroken. "Toph..."

"And maybe..." Her voice trembled, fighting the tears. "Maybe, at Xiazhi, I thought... for just a fraction of a second... maybe it wouldn't be so bad. To have something... more than this, to have a reason to get up every morning, besides canings being unpleasant to wake up to. To, maybe, be loved by somebody, for once in my pathetic life. Even if that somebody is a Prince and Princes tend to be pains in the ass. ... and I can't... unthink that." No, she couldn't. And the idea that maybe someone _could_ love her, just the way she was... "Mai forbade me from going to a festival again."

"What?" Ty Lee sounded angry, now. "That's.. just -"

"She has a right to." Toph shrugged. "I'm _her_ servant, after all."

"This is ridiculous." Ty Lee threw her hands up, pacing, thinking. "There has to be a way -"

"Just let it go, Ty," Toph interrupted, sounding even more dejected than she had a few moments ago.

"I can't just let it go, can you just let it go? You deserve to be happy, and so does he. I really don't think he'd be very happy with Mai." No, Ty Lee had never thought that. It just wasn't as though she'd ever had the nerve to say that to someone she thought was her friend. These days, Ty Lee was beginning to question what on earth had made them friends to start with.

"It doesn't matter. He'll find someone else."

"No, he will not find someone else. That's not acceptable. He really likes you, you know. It's actually a bit of an earful, during the time between one festival and the next. He goes on and on about how beautiful your hair is and how your eyes remind him of stars and seem to see right through him. How he feels like a child around you, you're rough, tumble and unrefined and not afraid of anything. The dorky smile on his face as he talks about you... it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

... that was freakishly sweet. "I can't, Ty. Mai -"

"Is a jealous idiot and we're going to ignore she exists for just one night. Alright?"

Toph shook her head. "I don't want you to get mixed up in this, Ty, it's - I'll get over it, I'll move on and -"

"Aaaah la la la I am now ignoring you."

A sigh almost huffed its way out of the younger girl. "You're less mature than a three year old some days."

"I take slight pride in this. It depends on the day. Now, you stay right here, don't you dare run off, I'll be right back."

This would either be the most wonderful thing to ever happen, or the worst. It would honestly be best if she simply walked away from this and nothing more was ever said on the asinine subject of her and the Prince courting one another. ... that was what they called this, right? Courting? Toph thought so. Yet it seemed Ty Lee was determined to play matchmaker. And maybe the idea of finding someone that really cared about her made Toph's heart speed up a little.

* * *

**I**f she tugged at her hair that way one more time, Toph was probably going to scream. Ty Lee had come back, with several different clothing options, many of them dresses. They sounded particularly ruffly and feminine, but, Ty Lee insisted she had curves under her boring commoners' clothing, that she should accentuate these curves and appeal to the man in Zuko. That way, she had his attention, and had it very firmly. Ty insisted no straight man would ever be able to look away from her.

Not that Toph wanted such attention. Actually, she'd much rather she didn't have it. But, arguing with Ty Lee was about the same as arguing with a wall. She seemed determined to push them as far over the line between casual friends and very attached as possible as quickly as possible. It was just a stupid crush, the first one Toph had ever had, it didn't matter if it didn't work out okay. That was what she was going to tell herself, see. Apparently, the universe had other plans.

"This really doesn't look right. You know, for all that you're full-blood Earth Kingdom, you don't look half bad in Fire Nation colors. This dress... it just doesn't accentuate your femininity very well."

"Does it matter if it does?" Toph asked, an eyebrow quirking upward.

"Of course it does," Ty Lee answered. "Women are a man's greatest weakness. My mother always told me, if you've got it, _flaunt it_, you'll have every hot-blooded human male within five yards flocking to you and doing your every bidding. I have to say, I'm not much for manipulation, but the attention is awesome."

"I don't do attention. And besides, I only want to get one of them's attention, not all of them."

"Oh, when I'm done with you, you'll have his attention alright. All of it."

"Shouldn't I be more worried about... you know, what sort of woman is his type and whether that's me or not?"

Ty Lee made an odd _tisk_ noise. "Love isn't some arcane science. But it's complicated all the same. It erupts like a volcano, quite messy, beautiful, breathtaking, and terrifying all at the same time. And then when it settles down you're landed with a choice: whether you and the other party are close enough you can never see yourself without one another again."

"But," Toph started, sounding confused, "we were born without one another?"

"Of course. But sometimes, you reach a point in a relationship where, whether you're right there beside them, or on the other side of the room, no longer makes a difference. Where you can be on opposite sides of an island, or on opposite sides of the world, and still feel the same pull. Because they've buried themselves so deep in your soul that they cannot possibly get any closer." Toph must have made a confused sort of expression, because Ty Lee laughed at her. "You'll understand, if this thing between you and Zuko ever goes anywhere."

"I'm... I'm just going to tell him goodbye, that's all."

"And when knowing you'll never be anywhere near him again makes your heart literally hurt, I'll try and hold the I told you." A pause, as Ty Lee twisted her hair around again. "... hm. Actually, maybe this lovely red and silver..." She let Toph's hair go, handing her another dress. "This one, try that one on."

Toph grumbled, but she stalked off to the bathroom and changed again. It was the seventeenth time, it felt like, since Ty Lee had come back, that she'd changed. Hm, but she wasn't sure...

"Ty," she called, "I don't know how this one goes on." Some movement on the other side of the door, and Ty Lee wandered in, helping her pull it on the right way. And then she tugged her out, into the light.

"Yes," she stated, approvingly. "That is absolutely perfect." If Ty Lee said so. It was tighter than the others, clung to her body in very unfamiliar ways, ways she wasn't sure were necessarily comfortable. Ty Lee came over and brushed her hair up into a ponytail, leaving her bangs loose, but she swept those out of the way and pinned them back. The ponytail eventually got put up into little braids looped around one another and held in place with a set of jade chopsticks. "Your eyes are stunning," Ty Lee explained, as she finished the last touches on her hair. "Your dress and hairstyle should accentuate your eyes and make them stand out."

"I'd figure they were a bit unnerving." She'd heard people tell her that before.

"No, they're stunning. Impossibly pale, about the color of jade. Besides, Zuko is apparently rather taken with your eyes, who cares what everyone else thinks, this is about snagging _his_ attention, yes?"

A quiet sigh. "I still don't think this is -"

"Turn around for me," Ty Lee interrupted, as if Toph hadn't been saying anything at all. Another sigh, but the girl - no, young woman - turned around for her. "Mhm. Lovely. He won't be able to find it in him to look away from you."

"Ty, this is all nice and everything but I still think I should just let it go."

"Listen," Ty Lee said. "Just give it this one more night. And if it turns out that it feels wrong, if it turns out that maybe this isn't the magnetic pull of what could become something more someday, then we'll let it go. But you go out there, you spend the festival with him, and then if you can come back and honestly tell me, I mean _honestly_, Toph, tell me that beside him isn't where you feel like you belong, then and only then will we let it go."

A pause, as Toph gave her the best disgruntled expression she could muster. "You're awfully adamant about this."

"Everyone deserves true love, Toph. Everyone."

"Even Mai?"

A humorless laugh came from the other girl. "Even Mai. I think she's just looking for it in the wrong place, is all. Now, you enjoy the festival. I'll try and keep Mai busy so she won't ruin it. I may not be able to do it again."

No, Toph didn't think she could do it again. And she was determined not to let her try.

* * *

**I**t was kind of like watching a train wreck. It was absolutely _horrible_, but Azula couldn't bring herself to look away, all the same. Zuko went from one side of the room to the other, rather quickly, almost running. She herself was simply seated on his bed, one leg over the other, arms folded over her chest, watching this... train wreck. He was having slight trouble deciding on an outfit for Liqiu. Of course, this wasn't all that surprising in the end, considering he was very _very_ sure, had this 'feeling' he said, that Toph would be there.

He was so hopelessly head over heels for this girl, it was almost _sickening_. Yet, adorable, all at the same time, and really, she couldn't complain. It wasn't near as much of a fight getting him to do things. And it seemed, some of his heart had gotten back into his Firebending. When they sparred these days, he was getting a lot more confident, sure in his movements, and a lot more resourceful.

Strange, the effect that little blind girl had had on her brother, seemingly so easily and quickly. It was like the Prince Charming had been swept off his feet instead of the fair maiden this time. Hm. Then again, she was only seeing one side of it. It was quite probable the fair maiden was swept away the same as he was.

How adorable. Not that she'd ever let her brother know she thought this was the most adorable thing to ever happen. Ever. Maybe, even more adorable than Lu Ten and his wife. ... that was awkward in many ways.

"This?" Zuko asked, breaking her from her thoughts. He eyed the ensembled in the floor-length mirror for a time, before shaking his head. "No." And he returned to the closet, digging through the mountain of clothing they, until this moment, were quite unaware the closet even _had_.

"Zuko, you really ought to settle on something already. At this rate, it'll be Lidong before you decide on something."

"I know," he responded, his voice a bit muffled by the mound of clothing he was presently near buried in, "I just want it... perfect. Absolutely... perfect, amazing, attention-grabbing?"

"Why does it even matter? The girl's _blind_, Zuzu."

"I know! I just... I... she can still feel if I dressed like a hobo?"

There was a pause. And then Azula snorted, rather incredulously. "Really Zuzu?"

"Don't," he warned, popping up above the fabric, "judge me."

Azula held her hands up in mock surrender. "Only stating the facts, dear brother. I'm not entirely certain why you're so concerned about your manner of dress and appearance when the girl really won't care."

"I just don't want to make her look bad or... or go slack in my appearance - I can at least attempt to look like a Prince? ... I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

Azula chuckled. "Only sometimes. Now isn't one of those times, but, you are a bit dense. And putting the peacock-swans to shame with your preening."

"I am not."

"Honestly Zuzu, I haven't seen anything preen so much until this moment." He grumbled unintelligibly, pulling himself out of his closet and changing his shirt again.

"I'm _not_ preening. Men don't preen."

"They do when they're hopelessly head over heels for a mystery girl they only see at festivals, are exceedingly nervous, and nitpicking at silly details to cover it up."

Zuko paused, glaring at her through the mirror. "You're either really, _really_ damned good, or just fucking with me."

"Perhaps a bit of both." Another pause. "And actually you're just insanely transparent."

He sighed, deflating only a tiny bit. "I just... I..."

"Are nervous," Azula finished. "And really want to make a good impression on this girl, but, dear brother, your appearance is not the way to do it. She doesn't sound like the type to be impressed with finery and a good stature even if she _could_ see. Just be yourself. Relax."

"It's rather hard to relax. I may never see her again, every time we run into one another at a festival, I'm just that much more aware of that. She could go somewhere else, leave the Fire Nation, never come back."

Azula was quiet for a moment, eyeing him through the mirror. "And maybe she'd be taking part of you with her, hm?"

"She's..." He trailed off, shaking his head a bit. Eloquence was never particularly abundant a trait in him. "I'm so hopeless."

"Mmm, yes, you are," Azula agreed. "But, major kudos to this girl for catching hold of you so firmly."

"I don't even know how she did it."

"Well, mom and dad are always on about how you 'just know,' or some other sappy such. Maybe they're right, and you really do know she's the one."

"I'm just listening to my heart."

"You're kind of good at that, when other things stop clouding your judgement."

Zuko frowned slightly. "I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not."

"Is she ever really dressed up?"

"Not usually."

Hmm. "Well, maybe you should dress down, instead." Azula stood, crossing over to him and taking his hair out of the topknot, shaking it loose. "That way, she doesn't look, or potentially feel, so out of place beside you."

A frown crossed his features. "She said something at Xiazhi, about... I'm so out of her universe it's insane...?"

Azula's eyebrows drew together. That was... an odd thing to say. But, maybe she was onto something. "She may not be nobility. You do realize that?"

"The thought's crossed my mind several times."

"I'm not sure how well father and mother would take to it."

"We'll just have to see when we get there I guess."

"I guess." There was a moment of quiet, as Azula shuffled over and reached into the pile of chaos in the closet, coming back with a very simple maroon and gold shirt. "Maybe this. Less regal, more comfortable."

He did like that shirt, he had to admit. He took it from her, and then smiled. "What if she dresses up this time?"

"Then I guess you get to be the peasant for once."

* * *

**S**he'd tucked herself off to the side. A few times, she'd noticed some male or another passing by her, could feel them checking her out, as Ty Lee called it. The festival had begun a few minutes ago, and Toph was apparently a little more worried about Mai noticing her than she'd initially thought, because she'd promptly removed herself from the brunt of the crowd, toward the forest to one side of the capital, the one that led to the clearing that had the fire lilies in it.

Ah, or perhaps she was a bit body-shy. That was possible, too. In her mind, she tried to stop paying attention to the too-obvious attention some of the male festival-goers were giving her and focus on trying to find Sparky. After all, he was the only real reason she was there, deliberately disobeying her mistress' orders.

Not that she had too much problem disobeying anyone, but, Mai had a special kind of power over her.

Soon enough, she found him, wandering through the crowd, intent on something. He seemed to be looking for someone, and... he seemed a bit... nervous. That was interesting. For some reason, 'watching' his vibrations, even from this far away, it was calming, in a sense. It'd be alright. Everything would work out. And if it didn't then... maybe it just wasn't meant to be. He just wasn't her Prince, or something.

Maybe someday, she'd go back to Gaoling. And kick Longfeng and his horrible daughter, Jo Dee, out of her father's manor. Unlike some, Lao had genuinely cared about his nation, and had gone to war defending it, and, like too many, hadn't come home. She was proud of her father for that. For leaving his life of comfort and finery behind for the love of his people and his family.

Someone else just bounced up to Sparky. He stopped, and seemed a little irritated. Some focusing on the other vibrations, and she recognized that one as Mai. Of course it was Mai. Somehow, she had a feeling Mai would consistently be a thorn in her side. Unfortunately, he was getting closer to her, and thus, Mai was too.

Where was Ty Lee? Wasn't she supposed to be distracting her? She shouldn't think that way. It was really sort of a miracle Ty Lee had decided to distract the occasionally rather volatile woman from the Prince in the first place. She still didn't think she had any right feeling this attached to him. But she couldn't help how she felt, either. And if there was a chance, the slighest of chances that this may not crash and burn miserably...

Another one bounced up. That one was Ty Lee. It took some heated discussion, and what appeared to be several near-fights, before Ty Lee managed to drag her away from the now-relieved Prince. He went back to wandering, looking, searching. Some part of her hoped that he was looking for her. But she wouldn't come out in the open, either.

Maybe she'd go back to the docks. He'd found her there once on his own, maybe he could do it again. It was far enough away from the festival grounds, no one would notice she was here when she wasn't supposed to be, and potentially tell the wrong person. She'd even, thus far, managed to duck under Jet's radar, and he seemed to have a particular knack for finding her when she didn't want to be found.

Carefully, she slid around the edge of the crowd, trying not to walk too funny, but this dress was still clinging to her tightly and uncomfortably. She didn't like the funny feeling wearing it gave her. She wasn't supposed to feel like that, after all.

The docks would be nice. A bit of fresh air, anyway, away from the stares and the enchanted sighing in her direction. She wasn't _that_ attractive, was she? At least, she couldn't quite wrap her stubborn Earthbender mind around the idea that she may very well be a bit of a looker.

_You're very lovely, Toph. In more ways than the one_, Sparky's voice flitted through her mind. Her breath caught for a moment, remembering what he'd said, the tone he'd said it with. Gosh, she was being ridiculous. She was just here to say goodbye. That was all.

Yeah. Just here to say goodbye, and watch all her hopes and dreams shatter.

* * *

**I**t was only a little frustrating how the minx managed to stay just out of his reach. It was like the universe was taunting him in some fashion, that he knew she was there, somewhere, just not where nor how to get to her. ... ugh, that sounded pathetic, even in his own head.

Fortunately, Ty Lee had apparently seen fit to save him from Mai, coming over at a most convenient moment to drag her off for some odd game or another. Liqiu was known for its games of sport. The most prominent two were probably Kuai Ball and archery contests. It was actually a little odd, that they were having archery contests at Xiazhi. Neither here nor there, he figured. Sometimes, you just ran out of things to do that were 'normal' festival functions.

Even without Mai attempting to distract him, he still hadn't found Toph. Eventually, he was sure, he'd get frustrated. Zuko was just that type: rather easily frustrated by the ups and downs of life. So it went.

After several minutes of floundering around like a lost child, Azula apparently found it prudent to go rescue her brother.

"She's over there," Azula whispered, leaning over so he could hear her better, one hand pointing toward the forest. And just as she said that, he noted a rather stunning woman slip through the trees toward the docks.

"I guess I get to be the peasant," he replied, smirking.

"Apparently so. Go get'er tiger." A gentle nudge in that direction from Azula, and he went, weaving around the crowd and slipping through the trees after her.

Once he reached the clearing near the docks, she stopped, and he did too. Good... Agni-sacred dragons, she was gorgeous. He did sort of regret that her beautiful raven hair was up, in a style he'd seen a lot among Fire Nation nobility, probably too many times. By now, he knew exactly how to undo it without hurting the lady unfortunate enough to have her hair up in it.

"... wow." That... was seriously probably the only thing he could get out of himself with any semblance of sense. Strangely, she was awfully alluring in reds. Lacking in sleeves, a Mandarin collar topping a very form-fitting red, falling to her knees. There were slits up either side, lined in silver, with a silver dragon design on one side at the hem. And then his gaze started going down and following those gentle curves down her sides - you know, up, back up, that was a good idea. Hi. Beautiful raven hair. And a rather nice sized rear -

"Is... is that a good wow or...?" She seemed a bit nervous, not turning around. Ah... Zuko smiled a bit, crossing the space between them, his arms wrapping around her waist.

"That... is Zukonese for I cannot find anything better to say, because a very heartbreakingly gorgeous woman just stole what little eloquence I have." She made a quiet sound of amusement, his head resting on her shoulder of its own accord. After a moment, some of the tension drained out of her, and her head leaned to one side, gently resting on his.

"I would figure you wouldn't want to let anyone know you'd lost your eloquence," she whispered. "And if you ask me, you've plenty of that."

"Mm, I can tolerate letting you know," he whispered back. His breath tickled her skin, and a shiver went down her spine.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. Not everyone gets blatantly told what a twit I am sometimes."

A quiet laugh that, to him, sounded like a purr came out before she could stop it. "I think I can handle you being a twit. Easier to poke fun at."

"Oh?"

"Of course," she promptly answered, matter-of-factly. "It's my civic duty and all to keep your ego from consuming your brain."

"How did you become blind?"

The question startled her into silence for a moment. "I... well I was born blind."

Agni, her eyes were so beautiful... "Ah. I'm sorry."

She shrugged, oddly gently. Maybe because his head still had not removed itself from her shoulder. "It's all I know. Never really bothered me before. When I was really young, my dad went away. Uh, because of the war. And I thought I could follow him, so, I ran away from home. My mother was always afraid I'd hurt myself or something because I'm blind but, when I ran away, I got lost in a tunnel system. That's when I met the badgermoles."

"Badgermoles?" To show he was listening, yes. This was rather interesting.

"Mhm," she answered. "They're blind, too. And I guess we understood each other. They taught me how to Earthbend, how to use it to see, just in a different way."

"You see through Earthbending?"

"Yep."

"That's..."

"Amazing, I know. I can hear well enough to get around, usually, but, I sort of see through my feet I guess. By sensing vibrations through the earth. I can sense even an ant that way."

"That's... better skill that I've got with Firebending."

"Well, not surprising. I'm the greatest Earthbender in the world you know."

"Are you now?" His tone was amused. She nodded. "And what was that about _my_ ego consuming my brain?"

Her hand raised and whacked his arm. Despite her size, and how lazily she appeared to have done it, that actually kind of hurt. "Very funny."

"I thought it was at least a little clever."

They both fell quiet, listening to the distant sounds of the festival, the water gently lapping against the docks. Without thinking about it, he nuzzled into her neck slightly, breathing her scent. Oddly a calming scent, damp earth mixed with a flower of some kind... maybe a lotus...

She made an odd pleased noise, her head moving slightly, that she wasn't in his way. And it seemed his inner fire took over his mind, as he found himself trailing kisses across her jaw, pulling her closer to him, almost possessive. He _hated_ that she always went somewhere he couldn't follow her when the festival was over.

And then suddenly, her fingers slipped between him and her neck, resting gently against his lips, and she turned around in his grasp. "Sorry," she whispered. "You were getting a little carried away with your mouth."

"Were you complaining?" he asked lowly, kissing her fingers, too.

"Not really." Quiet, almost breathless. After a few moments, her hand fell to her side. "I... Zuko, I only came to say goodbye."

"What?"

"I can't... I can't come..."

"Why?"

"It's complicated. I just can't, and I'm sorry."

"Is... is it - do you live too far? I'm sure I can arrange something, or, did I upset you?"

"No, it wasn't anything you did." _Well, it was kind of the part where you're far too charming..._ "And it's not distance I just... _can't_."

"Toph, please -"

"Don't," she interrupted, her fingers resting against his lips again. "Don't make this harder than it already is. I don't belong here. And maybe someday I'll go back to my own nation. You should fall for a Fire National."

"I... it'd certainly make the colonies happy, if I fell for an Earth Kingdom woman." Only a short pause, before he added, quietly, "And I want to. I don't want to fight it." Her sightless eyes narrowed a bit, sparkling in the dim light. Oh. No, those were tears. He reached up, brushing them away before they fell. "Don't cry," he murmured. "I don't know how to handle girls when they're crying. I don't want to upset you worse."

But he already had. Just by being so sweet. This had to be a sin. There was no way in Agni's name this was any sort of legal. "Agni's _fire_, you're persistent."

"Yes, the only thing I can be on any sort of consistent basis."

Despite the mood, that made her laugh.

"That's better. Please don't stop coming. You're the only reason I come to these stupid things."

"Am I?"

"Mm. I hate festivals. Or, I did. Never did find anything interesting in them. And then you came along and... now I can't wait for the next one."

A groan, her head gently falling onto his shoulder. "Why are you so sweet?"

"Because I found someone I want to hang onto."

... he really was going to make this so much harder. Spirits, she wanted to just kiss him stupid and never let him go. But this wasn't going to end well. A slight shift, her hands reaching up to find his jaw. He let out a very adorable half-strangled surprised noise, as she pressed her lips against his, freezing for just a moment before he returned it. Her body seemed to be against her - as soon as she felt his tongue, seeking hers, she let him in, pressing against him.

And then all at once, she pulled away. He seemed confused. She smiled, sadly, almost reaching up to stroke his cheek, but, she made her hand go back where it was. "Someday," she whispered, "you'll forget. You'll forget my name, my scent, the sound of my voice, the specific shade of green my eyes are. And I hope, to anything that's listening, that you do, because you deserve so much more than I am." Her voice cracked, tears falling silently.

"Toph -"

"It's not my choice to make. It's already been made for me. And I'm sorry." As quick as she could, she turned and took off.

"Toph!" He followed, of course. A slight spin as she ran, as well as she could in this silken cage they called a dress, and a wall of earth separated them, forcing him to stop. "TOPH!"

The desperation in his tone threatened to break her heart. But it was better that this ended now, before either of them got in too deep. But, if they hadn't, then, why did it feel like someone had just shoved a dagger in her chest?

* * *

**S**he kept running, refusing to stop, in case he caught up. By the time the adrenaline stopped pushing her so hard and the exhaustion settled in, she was near to the other side of the capital island. She'd been here, a few times. She came to a stop, finally, on a cliff overlooking the shore, the scent of saltwater and water lilies on the wind. For a bit, she just stood there, on the cliff, listening to the ocean crash into the rock below. It was calming, in a way. And now that she wasn't standing in front of him, she let herself break, loosing a loud sob, and crumbling.

Earth was strong. It was stubborn, willful, and powerful. Independent and stable. Earth never gave in. Earth kept pushing. But, over time, it could be broken down, its strength turned into something else. Not a weakness: no, earth was never _weak_. It was a constant, never changing, always there.

Mai wouldn't break her. No idiot before her had ever managed to break her, and she wouldn't have the honor. She'd keep going, no matter how much it hurt. Her mother had said, once, just after her father had died, that hurt was like a window in the winter. It began, at first, flung fully opened, letting the sting of the cold, the snow and the sleet, in readily. And a little at a time, a day at a time, it began to close. Little by little, the window shut itself, until the pain that was so vibrant and hurtful was but a mere wisp, and then, all the window let in was the sunlight.

Agni, she'd never hurt so much in her life.

A little at a time, the tears subsided, leaving her eerily calm. She sat up, the wind tossling her already fashionably messy hair everywhere. She'd lost Ty Lee's chopsticks somewhere back there. She'd work to pay her back. Deliberate, Toph drew a deep breath in, listening to the sounds, feeling the vibrations in the dirt underneath her.

There was a tavern not far away.

It was tempting. She had some coin on her, not much, but some. And if she was really so stunning, she might be able to get a male patron to pay for her, and then be gone by morning.

She stood, Earthbending all the dust and dirt off the dress. It wasn't hers, after all. She did still need to return it, and she'd return it in as clean a state as she could get it. Her feet started toward the tavern, and never quite stopped. It took a few minutes, but she found it, shoving the door open. The quiet din inside hushed as she entered, probably looking rather out of place.

To the bar she trudged, almost defeated. "Strongest shit you've got," she drawled to the bartender. Fortunately, they didn't argue, just tinked the bottles and glasses around. "No ice," as an afterthought. And then a glass of the sickest smelling shit she'd ever caught a whiff of was set in front of her.

She'd get several more of those before the end of the night.

* * *

**H**e seemed... so utterly dejected. Worse than that, if Azula was any judge of her brother's awkward mood-swings. He was the one with his heart on his sleeve. Azula never really seemed to show _any_ emotion at all. She'd heard, time and again, how unnerving it was, but, she had her namesake to thank for it. That man, Fire Lord Azulon, would have turned her into a psychopath, if he'd lived longer than he had, or so their parents told her. And she, from what little she remembered of the man, believed it.

She detached herself from the game she was playing. "Sorry Ty," she called to her partner, "this looks important." Ty Lee nodded, following her gaze to Zuko. Apparently, she thought the same, because she called the game off entirely and scuttled after her as she bee-lined for Zuko.

"What happened?" Azula asked, once she was in earshot of him.

"She's gone," he answered, his voice almost hollow. "She said she's not coming back."

"What?" Ty Lee, behind her, went a bit rigid. And then slunk around him and headed for the docks. She had a few questions too, as Toph hadn't seemed like a girl that wasn't in love, and it was strange that she'd have decided to go through with that anyway.

Honestly, Ty Lee had been fully and completely ready to fight Mai head-on with this. Apparently, Toph wasn't.

"I... I don't get it. Agni, Azula, she was gorgeous, everything about her sets my nerves on fire."

"That's... usually not a pleasant experience..." Azula half-mumbled.

"No, it was a good thing," Zuko insisted. "I guess you wouldn't really get it, you've never fallen in love."

"We've upgraded to love now?"

"Yes."

"Come on," she shrugged. "It'll be fine. It's not like there aren't thousands of other girls in the world, you'll see. You'll find someone else."

That, strangely, seemed to set the fire in his eyes off, roaring into a live flame from a very dim smolder instantly. "I don't _**want**_ someone else, Azula," he replied, coldly for all the fire in his eyes. "I want _her_." He turned and stalked toward the palace, apparently no longer in the mood for Liqiu.

Azula sighed, watching him go. You know, the more this went on, and she watched this girl inevitably build her brother up and then break him back down, almost like he were clay in her hands, so easily... love just looked like more trouble than it was worth. She might think about staying single for the rest of her life. Because this was just a headache, and it wasn't even _her_ relationship.

She didn't think she liked this "Toph" much anymore.

* * *

**E**ventually, Ty found the earthen wall, and the little streaks of it making a trail, to the other side of the island. She kept following it, finding it kind of important a thing to do. Wherever Toph had gone, it apparently wasn't back to Mai's. Not that Ty Lee really blamed the younger girl for the sentiment.

This was _all_ Mai's fault. If she just hadn't let her stupid jealousy get in the way, they probably would have had a wonderful time, maybe gone off somewhere giggling and laughing, hand in hand. And they'd make gorgeous children, even. Ty Lee would admit to thinking that.

Eh, Azula probably hated Toph now. Ty mulled over the idea of talking to Azula later, explaining. But, how would she explain without pointing the finger of blame at Mai? Well, maybe it didn't matter. Maybe someone needed to say it. Mai was being a right selfish bitch, not thinking about Zuko's happiness, or anyone's happiness but her own. Strangely, Ty Lee found herself wondering if she'd really be happy, if she married Zuko. There were a lot of things that came with him. For one thing, he was the heir to the Fire Nation throne. He had a lot of Fire Princey things to do, and if she thought she was just going to hang off his shoulder and be everywhere he was, she had another thing coming. She didn't find _anything_ interesting but him, she'd be bored out of her mind.

Not that she wasn't already. And what if he had to go somewhere to discuss some thing or another with a foreign dignitary? Politics would probably bore her senseless, too. Mai seemed more like the type that needed a dynamic environment, something that changed a lot, threw all kinds of things at you.

... great, now she was thinking like a matchmaker for Mai, too. _Forget about it_, she thought. _Worry about Mai later, she's not your problem right now. Right now, Toph is probably in stupid amounts of pain._

Here... this is where the trail stopped. She did find her chopsticks along the way, shimmering rather prettily in the moonlight. Oh, person! "Hi! Sorry to bother you," she said, approaching the woman, "but, have you seen a young girl around here, in a fancy red and silver dress?"

The woman snorted, jerking her thumb at a building nearby. "She in there," she answered gruffly. "Distractin' the drunks."

... distracting...? That didn't sound good. "Thank you!" And she quickly went over to the building indicated, opening the door. And there was Toph, at the bar, singing bar songs rather drunkenly and horribly off-key. Ah... slipping over there now, taking a seat beside Toph.

"Ah, hi, we should go..." Oh, jeez what in Agni's name was in that? "You're going to get alcohol poisoning."

Toph just giggled. "Cool."

"Not cool."

"Sooometimes, it'd be better. If I just disappeeaaaared." A pause, and a hiccup, and Toph almost fell off the bar stool, but Ty Lee caught her. "Why's the dunderhead gotta be so... so... uuuugh!"

A slight wince from Ty Lee. "Yeah... I feel the same way about hand-stands. They're fun, but kind of painful after a while." Or... she was strange. Which, Ty Lee was already aware of this fact, as it was. "Come on Toph, you should get some sleep, come back to this side of sober and you'll feel better in the morning."

"Ahhhhnope," Toph drawled. "Iza not gonna feel betters. Evers. And no more sobers, nobirdy should ever be sobers again, alkyhals fer everybirdy!"

A very exasperated sigh. It probably didn't help the younger girl was, despite being utterly wasted, still pretty cute, and not sitting lady-like at all. ... and if that man over there leaned over in his seat any further, he was going to fall into the Earth Kingdom. Desperate times called for desperate measures. "Okay." She turned to the bartender. "Hi, sorry, how many of these has my friend had?"

"Eight, miss."

"Good... Agni's grace... okay, no more for you. Uh, has she paid for them?"

"Just the first three." ... great, she must have run out of -

"Um, how much are they?"

"Her total's twenty silver."

Ty Lee nodded, rummaging around before handing the man the right amount, and a few extra.

"Miss, this is a little more -"

"For being attractive an establishment enough to keep my friend holding still. Bad luck in love, very bad day."

"I see."

"It's not _love_," Toph spat. "I jus' feel bad fer the dunderhead."

"No, Toph, you love him."

"I does not!" Er. Maybe upsetting the very skilled Earthbender in a public establishment was a bad idea. That in mind, she just nodded.

"Of course you don't. Come on, we should get you home, up you go," she murmured, as though she was giving Toph a choice - and she wasn't, promptly hauling the girl up off the bar stool and practically dragging her for the door. Toph, of course, giggled the entire way, nearly flailing herself out of Ty Lee's grasp a few times before they even got outside. That didn't bode well. Getting her home was probably a very good idea.

Toph stopped suddenly, a few yards outside, hiccupping. And then made an odd gurgle noise. "... sick..." That was all she got out before something _else_ came up. Oh, ew...

This would be a very long night.

* * *

**I**t'd been decided, somewhere down the road, that perhaps Ty Lee had better take Toph to her own estate, rather than Mai's. The other young woman wouldn't be pleased Toph had been present for Liqiu, despite the part where Toph had basically broken both her own heart and Zuko's at the same time, and thus conditions had become more favorable for her. At this point, Toph was loudly giggling and singing very slurred songs, and Ty Lee had no doubt the young Earthbender would promptly show Mai where to shove it. If that happened, Mai could easily ship her out of the Fire Nation, and that would be the end of this, presently, very sad story.

So they stumbled into the entrance hall around three in the morning, Toph still giggling her head off. Some struggling with the door, on Ty Lee's part, precariously balancing the door and her heavily inebriated friend (seriously, Agni, why did you let her _drink that_?), before they stumbled for one of the spare bedrooms. Ty Lee's mother met them halfway, dressed in sleeping robes and apparently just awakened.

"Ty, what is the meaning -" she began, clearly about to go off on a bit of a rampage.

"Sorry," Ty Lee interrupted, "very sorry mother, my friend here just got her heart broken, give me about ten minutes and I'll get her in bed and sound asleep."

Her mother regarded the drunken girl, for a time, saying nothing. Ty Lee inwardly cringed, afraid she might demand Ty Lee find elsewhere for Toph to stay, but, her features softened slightly. Behind her, Ty Lee's half-awake father slid his arms around her.

"Mmm, what's the noise?"

"Sorry daddy," Ty Lee began, "my friend here had a bad night. And a fight with a bottle of _something_, and the something won." Yes, clearly.

"Heheheahahaha!" Toph giggled. "The walls is movingggg."

"... you can't _see_ the walls."

"Yes I cans. They's swirlin around. Weeee puffy clouuuds~!"

... it... had to have all been in her head. Ty Lee decided not questioning it was safer. "I'm sorry, ten minutes?"

"Yes," her mother replied. "Ten minutes. Poor girl. Nothing stings more than the first time love burns you."

At the word 'burns,' Toph fell quiet, seemingly staring into space, before she spluttered and dissolved into tears. Ooo... a slight shift, and Ty Lee petted her hair, trying not to drop her.

"Ah, mama, she fell in love with a Firebender," she explained. Her mother winced.

"Oh dear... Ten minutes, go go, before your sisters wake up." Ty Lee nodded, and somehow prodded the crying girl into moving again.

"Mm, young love," Enlai murmured into his wife's shoulder, watching their daughter toddle off with the heartbroken girl.

"We weren't much different once," Xia answered. He couldn't help the slight laugh, kissing her skin.

"I suppose not."

"You suppose? I vaguely recall, vaguely because I'd never admit how heartbroken I was, several incidents in which you ran from me, chasing tail."

"I always came back to yours," he answered, a bit suggestively, hand sliding down -

She giggled. "Come on, back to bed with you."

"Yes dear."

And, door, Ty Lee was having issue with the door - ah, and it popped open. Toph was still a mess of spluttering tears, not even making sense anymore. That was alright, she just needed some sleep, and maybe the crying would be good for her too. A light shove, and she carefully laid the younger girl down, reaching over to take down her hair the rest of the way.

"I hate him, Ty," she mumbled.

"Oooh, no you don't," softly. "Don't hide from it, Toph, it's okay that it hurts."

"I don't take well to pain," the Earthbender spat, bitter.

"Heh, not this kind, at least?" She remembered several instances in which she'd tolerated quite a severe beating without making a single noise.

"Nn. Not this kind. I dunno how to deal wit it."

"Well, I'd say, for your first heartbreak, you're doing pretty well."

A rough snort from the girl. "If ya say so." She rolled over, hiding in the blankets, apparently content to stay there. Ty Lee shuffled about the room a bit, cleaning it up a little better, and eventually shuffled over with a nightgown and made the girl change. Sleeping in that dress would probably be rather uncomfortable.

"The closest bathroom is right across the hall," Ty Lee murmured. "So, if you feel the need to throw up again, try to make it to the bathroom." Toph didn't answer, so she shuffled for the door. "Good night."

"I adore that stupid dunderhead," Toph whispered suddenly, somewhat loud in the silence.

"I know, Toph. I know."

* * *

**Notes: **Oooohh my gooooood I hate this... damn you Mai. Also yeah I didn't plan on Ty Lee!Parents they just sort of happened... Uh Enlai's name means appreciation and Xia's name means summer.

Slight fic-rating change. Beeecause a certain individual began cussing a lot more than she was before... in her defense, stress build-up is bad.

Monochrome also has a cover now, that I managed to dig up the first and only (tears!) Toko art I've ever drawn.

Also, Mai is a jealous sleaze, and at least my prior questioning whether Zuko is actually male just went out the window. Yeah he's male alright...

Uhh. Right, this one was Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh (meaning to give in marriage to Lugh, the Celtic God of skills, and the father of Cu Chulainn. Yah, they had one of those. Awkward turtle-duck.) ... my cat is the weirdest creature... anyway. It is the first harvest of the year, this usually being the wheat harvest, and originally was held on July 31-August 1. Over time it shifted to the Sundays closest to those dates.

If you're curious, these holidays are about 2 months apart. The next one will be Qiufen, the autumn equinox, in late September. Also if you're curious, yes, Toph and Zuko are Cinderella and Prince Charming, at least Zuko's name is cooler than "Charming" I dunno what the deal was with that... Mai is the evil step-sister, and the only one because it about broke my brain trying to figure out how to get another sister and a step-mother in there. I do have a step-father and a literal step-sister off in Gaoling, but eh who cares about Longfeng and Jo Dee. And Ty Lee is the fairy godmother. No talking mice or birds possessing of human-like sentience. Sorry Disney. No talking fish either. Sorry Yeh-Shen.

If you haven't, I do so recommend checking out international versions of Cinderella, and I mean actual international versions rather than some dude's attempt to internationalize the American version, they're very interesting and occasionally a tad traumatizing... poor Goldeyes. Yeh-Shen is the Chinese version that I did research before starting Monochrome, I intended to take inspiration from it but it was rather horribly sexist and only extremely romanticized.

Poor Zuzu. I'll always love you. And I promise Toph does too, she's just got... complications... :{ Drunk. Toph. Is. HEARTBREAKING.

Also, I tried really really hard to keep them off each other by the docks in this, it took the best of my best to prevent them from turning this into an M. ... and that awesome moment when you don't notice the typos until _after_ it's up. -eye roll- Also, next chapter is going to freaking suck, you have pre-permission to skip it.


	4. Qiufen

**QIUFEN**

**T**he girl had been awfully quiet in the days following Liqiu. When she'd woken up, she'd stayed, helped clean up the spare bedroom, made the family of nine a very scrumptious breakfast complete with some of the best tea Ty Lee had in a long time, and then took her leave, returning to Mai's. Ty Lee's parents had asked several times if she'd be coming back (you try cooking for nine - it was chaos). Unfortunately, she never did come back, and it was a rare occurrence Ty Lee saw her after that. Mai seemed intent to keep her consistently busy, and Toph never slipped out of it like she used to, content to remain busy. At least, with her hands busy, maybe her mind wouldn't wander back off to Liqiu.

Zuko had been utterly depressed ever since. Azula had, on many occasions, expressed dislike of the situation, insisting Ty Lee find Toph and make her apologize, but, that wasn't possible. If Toph went back into his presence again and Mai found out, they'd never see her again. And Ty Lee didn't want to take that chance. No, she liked her friend nearby, thank you. But it didn't help, seeing it for herself. All the passion and feeling had drained out of his Firebending, and his flames were weaker than usual.

Some more time moping, and he might lose the ability to Firebend at all, a fact Azula was rather displeased with.

But, there was nothing for it. Toph wasn't going to defy Mai again, even though she'd have loved to, even if only out of disinterest in having to adjust to yet another new owner, and Ty Lee wouldn't push it. "And around, and under, and... ta da," Ty Lee murmured, wrapping a corn-husk around itself.

"You're awfully cheerful," Toph commented, wrapping together her own corn-husk dollies. They were for Qiufen, as they were often given to one's lover, sort of as a symbol of your future children, or the children you have already. Couples with children that were of marrying age would wrap one of the dolls' arm to the other's, inscribe their childrens' name on one and burn them together, in hopes of them being married by next Qiufen.

The extras were given to the less fortunate children, and sent to orphanages, as toys and little else.

"Well," Ty Lee started, "better to be awfully cheerful than getting arrested for assault?"

Toph arched an eyebrow. "It's not that important."

"Except it is. You know, he hasn't been the same since Liqiu. Azula tells me all the fire in him seems to have died."

"Over a girl?" Toph shook her head. "Kind of silly if you ask me."

"Not over a girl," Ty Lee corrected. "Over you. There is a very important distinction between you and just a girl."

"If you're trying to talk me into going, you can forget it."

"Maybe you'd get shipped back to the Earth Kingdom."

"Actually," Toph mused, "Mai would probably ship me to the North Pole."

"That's harsh." She wouldn't be able to see up there, of course.

"A bit. Not like I care anymore. Maybe the North Pole would be less stressful than the Fire Nation. And I wouldn't have to listen to Mai go on and on about Prince Zuko this and Prince Zuko that and firmly hold the fuck you behind my teeth."

The other girl sighed, gray eyes narrowing in sadness. "I'm sorry it turned out this way."

Toph shrugged. "I knew it would. I dove into it anyway."

"You shouldn't be punished by circumstance for falling in lo-"

"I don't," Toph interrupted, "love him. I don't. Who am I to love him anyway? No one."

"Toph -"

"Shh. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

They both fell silent, working on their dolls. But all the excitement of Qiufen had been burned away, to leave only a sadness. This would be the worst festival yet.

* * *

**T**hey didn't say anything else for the rest of their time. Mai didn't like them talking anymore, naturally, because Ty Lee was supportive of Toph's romantic interest in Zuko, so Toph had a limited amount of time she could be around Ty Lee unchaperoned. It was pretty ridiculous, really, but, Ty Lee wasn't going to argue about it, merely out of disinterest in making the entire thing worse.

If she had to deal with a sort of curfew, well, fine.

It was with a basket of corn-husk dolls in hand that she trudged wearily back home, her mind trying to think up ways of making this better. Mai wouldn't sell the girl back to herself, nor to anyone else. If Ty Lee tried buying her from them, Mai would make up something her parents would believe so they wouldn't sell. Ty Lee didn't even know how much her price was.

This festival really was shaping up to be the worst. It didn't help that, when she thought to tell her about it, Azula ranted and raved about 'how could she be so stupid, you can't get better than the future Fire Lord,' and, out of disinterest in making this worse, Ty Lee just shrugged and said, 'I don't know Azula.'

But she did know.

The one good thing out of it all was, Zuko's terrible mood from it did make Azula force Mai to keep her distance. So, while Toph hadn't made much in the way of progress, neither did Mai.

It wasn't terribly surprising when she rounded the corner, her family's estate in view, to find Azula leaning against the door frame. She grumbled and cursed in her head, but, trudged onward anyway.

"Azula," she greeted, when she got close enough. "Didn't know you had it in you to wait around outside." Sort of a teasing tone.

"Well, I can handle it when there's something important I want to talk about. ... and your sisters were annoying me."

A slight amused cough. "I'm sorry about that Azula. If it makes you feel better, they annoy me sometimes too." Well, sometimes. But, that was what siblings were for. She'd just gotten the lucky end of the stick and gotten stuck with six of them.

"I suppose. Speaking of siblings."

"Is this about Zuko again?" A head shake, and she opened the door, before Azula could answer. "Never mind. We'll get some tea and hide in the back yard." She could usually escape her siblings' attentions by staying in the back yard somewhere. Many of them were a bit pampered-princess-like and hated bugs and such things.

So the two found one of the servants, asking them to bring some jasmine tea, Azula's favorite as it was her mother's favorite, to the back yard. Then they wandered out together, finding a seat at one of the sitting areas outside. At least it was a nice day, for all that it was fall, and the strangling heat was beginning to leave the Fire Nation.

"Not," Azula began, "about Zuko, but rather about the girl."

Oh, this again. Every time she asked, Ty Lee had to resist the urge to blurt out 'It's all Mai's fault!' Even if it was, ratting a friend out wasn't very nice. "What about her?"

"I know you know something you're not telling me, Ty Lee." Azula's voice was low, almost dangerous. "And I will find out what it is, one way or another. We've been friends since childhood, I can't honestly believe you're keeping secrets."

"It's for the best, Azula, it really is." Pointing fingers, Ty Lee firmly believed, never really solved anything.

"You like your secrets," Azula stated. "I get it. But you're not the one that has to deal with Zuzu on a regular basis. It's kind of sad watching him stay in bed until near noon. Mom has to go in and practically drag him out of bed."

"I'm sorry Azula, I really am but this can't end well! It's just... maybe it's just... better this way...?"

"You don't sound like you believe that." Flat.

"I don't," Ty Lee whined. "And I'd really love to see them happy together but like I said, there are things going on here that you don't know about and it's better if you just didn't."

"Ty..." There was a warning in the tone.

"Nope," Ty Lee shook her head. "Nope nope nope, I'm not telling you, and you're not going to intimidate me into telling you anyway. No."

Azula sighed, shaking her head. The servant came over with their tea, and both turned their attention to that.

"I will figure out what you're hiding. You may as well out with it."

"Azula. Please don't put me in that position. I don't want to be _that_ person."

"Alright," Azula sighed. "But if this is really important, I will seriously be mad at you." There was a pause. "... is she coming?"

"No."

"Great." Her tone suggested no, that really _wasn't_ great at all.

* * *

"**I** don't know, Uncle," Zuko exasperatedly sighed, pacing about the tea shop's upper floors. He'd come a short while ago, after the Fire Lady expressed upset at the sudden utter destruction of his ability to be in a good mood, and suggested a quiet retreat. So, he decided to come visit his uncle's tea shop in the more commercial districts of the Fire Nation capital. The Jasmine Dragon seemed to be doing just fine as it was, and even the Fire Lord meandered by on occasion to visit his elder brother.

"Well, start at the beginning," Iroh prompted. Zuko stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the retired General.

"I don't know when it started," he lamely murmured. "She caught my attention at complete random. If I hadn't been so bored I wouldn't even looked her direction at all. Pure coincidence."

"Or perhaps fate," Iroh rumbled.

"Fate? Bah! I have enough trouble without _fate_ being a pain too."

"We all have fate being a pain. And we don't always understand what ours is until it's far too late to stop it."

"I should decide my _own_ destiny, uncle. Anyone should."

Iroh sighed. "My nephew, there are things that will change you, irrevocably. There are other things that won't change you at all. Your life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. What drew you to her?"

Zuko fumbled for a moment. "I... well she... she talked to me, like I'm a person."

"No Prince Zuko or Lord Zuko?"

"No, none of that. ... I think, even if I asked her to, she's too... too _proud_ a woman to defer to anyone that way. Completely lacking in manners, not the nobility type at all." A wistful little smile crossed his face. Iroh noticed, and smiled heartily.

"And you fell for her for it."

A very slight coloration of his cheeks rose. "Maybe."

"You _did_," Iroh insisted. "Very adorable. I fell for Lu Ten's mother that way. She, you know, was nothing like your lovely mother Ursa, no, she had no grace at all and her tongue wagged too much. Ahh... she was a right pain in the rear."

"Uncle," Zuko admonished, surprised his uncle would speak of his aunt in such a way.

"Heh, you know, women in general, Zuko, they're a complicated tapestry of simplicities."

"... a what?"

A rumbling laugh. "They require many things to be happy. But at the same time, they require very little."

"Contradictions, sounds like."

"In a way." A grunt. "Ah, food, cleanliness, shelter, attention, affection -"

"Affection and attention are the same thing, aren't they?"

"No," Iroh shook his head. "You, for instance, are giving me your attention yes? But there is no affection in this particular interaction. A woman is very fragile, this is why they used to be considered the weaker gender. She is a flower, whom needs a specific environment to bloom beautifully, and is easily hurt by thoughtless words and careless mistakes. She needs to feel wanted, cared for, appreciated, needed, valued. But never make the mistake of underestimating her. She may be easily hurt, but her wrath is no trifle."

"I don't even know if I'll ever see her again."

"If you love this woman, nephew, and it seems that you do, you'll find her again."

"How?"

"Stop trying. Or try harder. Women, too, are easily scared when you move too fast. Also easily angered if you move too slow."

"How do you even know which is which?"

"You don't," Iroh replied, a bit wistful. "You just pick a pace and respond to her. She'll tell you, in her way." There was a pause.

"She... she said the choice wasn't hers to make." At that, Iroh blinked in apparent confusion. "I know. She doesn't seem like the type that'd let anyone make her decisions for her."

"Hmm, you did say she is Earth Kingdom?"

"Yes?" What did that have -

"Perhaps her parents do not like it," Iroh suggested. "Even this long after your father ended the war, things are still a bit strenuous at times. I wouldn't be surprised if the Earth Kingdom's people were still wary of the Fire Nation's."

"Then it's hopeless," Zuko despaired.

"Oh, dear nephew," Iroh tutted. "She will not be so young forever." Despite his sour mood, Zuko felt his heart sputter and speed up.

* * *

**T**his was depressing. For once, Azula wasn't out there, enjoying the festival. Instead, she was over to the side a bit, her stance, arms crossed and leaning against a tree, mimicking her brother's. Thus far, neither of them had found Toph. True to her word at Liqiu, it'd seem, she hadn't come this time. Usually, they'd found her by now, between the two of them.

Their father was aways a bit, hand in hand with their mother, apparently taking a walk around the festival. They both kept casting confused and concerned glances at Zuko, who hadn't even left the staircase yet. Azula wasn't surprised, but, she was beginning to think perhaps their mother was on the verge of a well-meaning, but inevitably doomed, intervention.

If Azula could just get something out of Ty Lee, maybe this wouldn't be so difficult, and terrible to watch. **This**, this was like watching a train wreck.

A final glance around, not that she expected to find anything, and she wandered to the bar. "Cherry cider, please." And that was when she noticed the _other_ one, draped very haphazardly across several barstools, sparkling from the multitude of golden jewelry pieces dangling from his form. At least nine earrings. On just one ear.

_It's a girl_, the male thought, tilting his head at her in slight curiosity. ... hm, actually, this appeared to be the Fire Princess. ... well, naturally. _Thanks universe,_ he thought, a bit rueful. _Drop the Fire Princess on me._

A little dark in the skin tone to be completely Fire Nation, but, he was at least mostly so. Azula observed him with a guarded curiosity, before turning her attention to her drink as it was set in front of her.

"You seem a bit upset." It wasn't demanding, or questioning, just a statement; she could take the opening or leave it.

"Suppose I am," Azula answered, smooth and tactful. Ooo, he liked her already.

"Hnn." He fell quiet, for a bit, before suddenly sitting up in one quick motion. To his credit, he did not appear to get dizzy for his troubles. She got the distinct impression he'd done that many times before, and the motion was simply executed with a rather startling preciseness. "Whatever could upset our most lovely Fire Princess? Do indulge. I'll be sure to fry them quite thoroughly. Extra crispy."

A startled blink. "I could fry them myself."

"Of course. When one does favors for another, oft it's for little other reason besides the want to."

"And why would you want to?"

He tutted softly under his breath. "Pretty girls should not frown."

Azula was quite certainly _staring_. How... bold a statement. "You don't strike me as a man that wants to die."

The other chuckled in amusement. "Actually, were you to strike at me, I think that'd be a most thrilling adventure, and I shall, should I ever push my lady to do so, enjoy it thoroughly."

... yes. Azula was most _definitely_ staring. And yet somehow his frankness was rather charming. His fiercely burning golden gaze never left her own, meeting it levelly, with no fear at all. No, he didn't fear her, there was no fear in that gaze. Something... else... ... curiosity? Yet, strangely, she got a very distinct impression of a predator. She was not the intended prey, no, but he was still clearly a predator. Interesting...

"I'm certain you know my name," she began, her curiosity carefully withheld from her tone, "but I don't know yours."

"Suyis," he replied. "Might know me better as Fei Xing."

A blink. Him? This was him? ... well, no wonder she got the impression of his being a predator. "My father had quite ready praises for you," she noted.

"Hnn. He did not have to say anything. I'm not entirely certain completely lacking of a self-preservation instinct is particularly worthy of the Fire Lord's praise."

Azula snorted. "Well, he believes you've saved his hide a few times."

"If I did, I assure you milady, it was completely accidental," he answered, his tone deepening. And then when he spoke again, it was light-hearted again. "Well, what idiot left such a beautiful lady by herself?"

"I didn't come with -"

"Ah, probably your brother. Hnn." A slight smile, though, on his face, it looked more like a smirk. He was unnerving and thrilling at the same time... "He does seem a bit... out of sorts, if I may." The man flicked his gaze toward where Zuko was, presently attempting, it'd seem, to shake Mai off him without being downright rude.

"He is," Azula sighed. "S'just... this girl I guess."

"Ha. A girl. I should have guessed as much. Not a very intelligent example of a woman if she could turn him away." He was charming, in his way, kind of cute. ... probably straight, however. That was okay.

"From my understanding," Azula started, "she had no choice in the matter."

Mm. "Slave?"

"They're servants."

"No, Princess, you should face the facts. Slavery still exists, and your very respectable father has done nothing about it."

Azula frowned. "Well, maybe."

"Sounds it."

"Zuzu doesn't think she's a servant."

"Slave," Suyis corrected. "And who else in the Fire Nation would possibly have so few rights that one could decide who they date so easily."

"The girl's parents?"

"How old is she?"

"I don't know. She looked at least fifteen."

"Then not her parents. If she's old enough to shoot an elk, she's old enough to make her own choices."

"Very... overprotective parents?" Azula offered.

Suyis snorted. "So what you're saying is, your wonderful brother fell for this girl and doesn't know a thing about her?"

"He knows her name."

"... yeah, doesn't know anything about her. He'll get over it. Initial attraction is blinding, but it's not _binding_."

Azula frowned. "You sound like a cynic that's never fallen in love."

"Ah, but I have. Yet, I sit here, enchanted by your mannerisms and adorable personality, but, at the end of the day I'm not asking you to marry me. If I intended to someday do that, I'd have to get to know you."

"So why don't you?"

Suyis smirked. "I believe, dear Princess, that's exactly what I'm doing." His gaze flicked back to where Zuko had been. He'd gone, and left behind a very upset lady. "What's her deal?" He asked, nodding toward her.

Azula turned, and snorted. "She's had a crush on Zuzu since we were children. Since then, she's been rather relentlessly pursuing him."

"And he's not returning her affections?"

"No," Azula shook her head. "Well, to put it bluntly, the girl's rather dull." There was a pause, and Azula's gaze narrowed. "... and according to our other friend, easily made jealous."

A little light seemed to go off in his eyes. "Well," Suyis started, standing. He moved with far too much grace for a man of his size. "Sounds like somebody has the full of it. Maybe you should go talk to her."

"I did, she didn't tell me much of anything."

"Then try again, milady," Suyis replied, leaning around her to take that glass of fire whiskey in such a way as to be tantalizingly close to her, before he slipped around her and through the crowd. "Good luck," he called.

Yeah, she'd probably need it.

* * *

**P**erhaps Fei Xing was right. Maybe she just needed to try this one again. That in mind, Azula had finished the last of her cherry cider (and she was _not_ watching his ass as he wandered away from her, either) before shuffling off to look for Ty Lee. Fortunately, it didn't take long before Azula found her, off to the side, seemingly rather upset.

Hm. Azula strode over to her. "Ty Lee," she started, "we need to talk."

"Not now," Ty Lee whined. "There's nothing to tell!"

"The fact you felt the need to tell me that informs me otherwise. Now, what is going on? Tell me the whole of it, not just the pieces you feel like."

"I can't, Azula," she whimpered. "If I do you'll be so pissed!"

"I already **am** pissed," Azula corrected. "I don't like to meddle -"

Ty Lee gave her a look.

"... _much_," she added, "but what choice do I have? What am I supposed to do about my brother, who mopes all day and would probably die in his bed if mother didn't drag him out of it?"

"I don't know, Azula. Look, I told you everything I could. _Please_ don't stick me in the middle of this!"

One elegant eyebrow curved upward. "This **does** have something to do with Mai, doesn't it." It wasn't a question. No, there was no question involved. "What'd she do?"

"Nothing!" Ty squeaked.

"Don't lie to me, Ty Lee, what'd she do?"

There was a moment of silence. And all at once it came rushing out. "OKAY, I suck at lying anyway I hate lying there's no honor in lies, Toph's parents died after the war and her step-father sold her into slavery and she's been bouncing around ever since then and Mai's parents bought her and then things happened and Mai's forbade her from coming back to festivals ever again please don't be mad at me but I didn't want to have to choose between my friends!" Breathe... air was good.

Azula blinked. "... so, Zuko's mystery girl is Mai's...?"

"Slave, yeah."

"And... Mai is the reason she can't come back...?"

"Right." After a heartbeat, Ty Lee added, "But she's technically nobility in the Earth Kingdom, she is! I know, Zuko falling for a slave, that's not..." She trailed off.

"Hm." Azula tilted her head. "Seems the Shooting Star was right."

"What?"

"Nothing." Slavery, it really did exist. That was just... maybe she'd bring it up to her father. There were laws concerning that, if she remembered right. Mai might well be violating one of those by having a slave. "So what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it just, Mai can't see her? We can keep her busy."

"Azula," Ty pleaded, "if we make Toph come anyway, Mai has the power to ship her to the North Pole. **North. Pole.**"

Hm. "I'm sure if she did, Zuko would probably go right up there and find her."

"... with a ferocity and fleet that makes it look like he's going to start another war."

An amused snort. "Probably not. But the idea of father having to talk the Northern Water Tribe back down from a lovesick puppy is amusing." Indeed.

Ty Lee sighed. "Maybe we just shouldn't interfere. Nothing good can come of this."

For a moment, the Princess was silent. And then she shook her head. "Maybe, we can do this without Mai ever finding out."

"... someday, Azula, I'm sure you're going to get me _killed_." Hm, it pained the Princess to admit it, but, probably, yes.

* * *

**A**nd unfortunately, as Zuko was gone, that inevitably left helping dad douse the Sacred Flame. That was kind of suck. Azula wanted to spend some more time considering all angles of the timultuous battlefield upon which Ty Lee and herself found themselves flung. Love, after all, was oft described as a battlefield indeed. Such allusions were not too far off from the truth.

So, maybe it wasn't surprising when, once she'd gotten up there, the Fire Lord gave her a look that screamed 'what the hell?' And she sighed, waved a bit, a non-verbal 'we'll talk later,' as he'd been expecting _Zuko_, not her. But the lovesick puppy was too busy pouting. Or whatever it was rejected Firebenders did. She didn't know because she'd never been in his position before.

Not that she wanted to. And noticing Suyis watching her was definitely helping with that. These two sentences are oozing with _definite_ sarcasm. What? Suyis was hot, now that she'd seen him up close.

Ahem. Ozai gave her a bow, and she bowed back. A shift and both pulled the fire right out of the brazier, sending it snaking through the air above the festival attendants. It eventually curled into a dragon, appearing to roar at the sky, before disappearing. Then Ozai was beside her.

"Your brother was supposed to -"

"Yes daddy," she answered, "but as you can tell, he's not here." To emphasize her point, a hand gestured at the crowd. His gaze scanned it. Sure enough, Zuko was not there. A frown.

"Do you know where he went?"

"Yeah. Up in there somewhere," she jerked a thumb at the palace behind them.

"So early?"

"His girlfriend's not here." As if she were bored. _Don't ask questions_, she mentally pleaded. _I'm not sure you'd take well to her lack of noble upbringing very neatly_.

"I see." His tone was a bit disgruntled.

"Hm. Hey, if I wanted to court Fei Xing..."

Ozai's gaze snapped back to her, amber meeting amber. "You're joking."

"I'll... take that as a no..." A bit confused, as he'd spoken rather highly of him.

"Good. Wait no," Ozai shook his head. "I mean -"

"What's good?" Ursa asked, coming to stand beside her husband.

"Your daughter wants to court Fei Xing." ... right to the point, as always. We do love you daddy.

A sigh. "I didn't say I wanted to, I was just asking what you'd say if I did," Azula corrected.

Ursa frowned, glancing at her husband. "Isn't Fei Xing insane?"

"He is?" Azula asked.

"He is." Ozai answered. Ursa seemed amused - they were a bit alike, he and Azula.

"He is not. He's rather sweet actually."

"And very, very dangerous," Ozai pressed. "Honestly, you too? Now? At the same time? Can't you two get interested in the opposite gender at _different_ times?"

Ursa snorted, quietly. "Honey, I don't think it works that way."

"Well it should. I can't keep up with this."

Azula just rolled her eyes and started to wander off. "Never mind, Daddy."

"Hey, wait -"

"No no," Ursa pulled her husband back. "Let her alone."

"... do you get any of this?"

"Hm." Ursa considered it for a moment. "Bits and pieces, surely."

"So about as much as I do."

She made a quiet amused sound. "About."

Ozai sighed. "... what if she was serious about Fei Xing?"

"Then, we will trust she knows what she's getting into, be there if she does not, hope for the best and prepare for the worst," Ursa answered, brushing a stray strand of dark hair from his forehead.

Ozai seemed less than pleased. "So... nothing."

"Not nothing," Ursa chided. "We wait. Neutral jing, yes?"

Ozai grumbled. "I hate jings."

* * *

"**T**y Lee." The girl in question froze. Mai's voice, of course Mai would come for her, Mai always came for her. Like a nightmare that tended to repeat itself over the course of several years with a freakish level of regularity.

"Yes, Mai?" she answered, trying to sound neutral about their meeting one another.

"I've lost track of Zuko." It was blunt, as flat-toned as anything the other girl ever said. But there seemed to be a slight pleading undertone, a very slight one, barely noticeable behind the wall of indifference.

Ty Lee shrugged. "Haven't seen him either, Mai."

Mai huffed. "It's like he's just lost his will to do anything. He's been like this for weeks."

"Jee, I do wonder why that is," Ty Lee answered, the bitter note in her tone a little sharper than she'd intended.

"Don't blame this on **me**."

"Except, it was your fault."

"I had nothing to do -"

"You had **everything to do with it Mai**!" Her patience was gone. Mai stared at her for a moment, taken aback by the sudden cutting tone. "Don't you _**get it**_? You separated them! Of _**course**_ he's upset!"

"He doesn't need her."

"Yeah? You're sure about that? Well why don't you ask him about it? Hey, how about asking him _**anything at all**_, because you don't seem to really give a damn what he thinks or how he feels about any of this, you just pursue him blind to the reality of this situation."

"And what reality might that be?"

"**He doesn't want you**. He wants _her_."

"He doesn't need her."

"Yeah, you said that already. And it's a weak argument, because he seems to feel different about it. The world doesn't revolve around you. Zuko isn't **yours**. He's his own person, Mai, and he can make his own choices."

"He won't choose her."

"Then why do you feel so threatened by her?"

Mai's gaze narrowed. Normally, Ty Lee would be intimidated by it, but, at the moment, her irritation apparently overcame the fear.

"I don't." She answered, flatly. "She just annoys me."

Ty Lee snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever you say Mai." There was a pause. "I don't think you'll find Zuko for the rest of the night. And intruding on his privacy would piss Azula off next."

"Azula and I are friends, unlike you and me, apparently."

"Yeah? So go ask her where he is. Maybe your _friend_ will tell you." Ty Lee turned around, leaving Mai alone. At this rate, everyone Mai called a friend, of which there were very few, will have turned their back on her. And Ty Lee wondered which one was more important to her: having no one but a miserable Zuko, or letting him be happy and keeping her friends.

Then, she thought the wondering was, inevitably, stupid. It was becoming quite clear which one she'd chosen.

* * *

**H**mph. Mai wasn't sure what she was bothering for. Azula probably wouldn't tell her either. Still, her curiosity was enough to send the young woman looking for the Fire Princess. And she found her, sure enough, speaking with a darker skinned male. Judging by his eye color, at least partially Fire Nation, but he was as dark as the Water Tribe barbarians. A slight little head tilt, before sliding into the seat on the other side of Azula.

" - so you know what he did?"

"No," Azula answered, breathless and rather enchanted with the male. ... that was somewhat sickening.

"He marched right up to him, and he said, I quote, I do what I want so fuck you."

Azula giggled. "He didn't!"

"He did," the man nodded. "I hear he was transferred to a different unit a few days later. Whether he was or not, eh couldn't tell you."

"Wow. Quite a bit of a backbone on that one."

"Yeah," the man answered, his tone a bit wistful. Jeez that one sparkled, Mai noted. Covered in golden jewelry, many many rings of gold around his ears, and his neck, and his wrists... she wondered if he had golden rings around his ankles, too. She almost leaned over to look. And so many tattoos... "He got replaced with a by-the-book type. Not quite as interesting after that."

Mm." Azula stirred her glass a bit. "So, it wasn't really that bad was it?"

The man snorted. "You joking, it was horrible. When you're told, you know, we're doing this for these peoples' own good, sharing our nation's prosperity with the rest of the world... but then you see that we have to destroy them to do it, burn down whole villages, cause unspeakable amounts of gold worth of damage, kill people, imprison others... you wonder if maybe the one person you're supposed to be able to trust isn't lying to you. To lose faith in that, it's..." He shook his head. "Your father was practically a heaven-sent angel to us. Something, someone, we could finally put our faith into."

"That's kind of swe -" Mai coughed. Two sets of amber eyes fell on her. "... hello Mai."

"Hello," Mai answered.

"Should I go?" the man asked.

"Nope," Azula answered, setting her drink down and standing. "I will be right back, so don't you go shooting off anywhere."

The male snickered. "Anything milady wishes."

Azula smiled, very pleased with his statement, before taking Mai's arm and practically dragging her away from the bar. Mai let out a slight indignant noise, before deciding not to bother with it. Once they'd gotten a good distance away, Azula let her go, turning to face her. "And you wanted?"

"What's Ty Lee's deal?" Mai asked first.

"Deal?"

"Yeah, she seems pissed at me for some reason. Do you know anything about it?"

"Did she say anything?"

"No, just rambled about something stupid."

_Hmm, still trying to play innocent_. "And what was that something stupid?"

"She thinks I had something to do with Zuko's bad mood. I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

"Oh no," Azula assured, one arm flopping over Mai's shoulders and tugging her into walking with her. "You didn't _say_ anything wrong, Mai, of course not. I'm not sure, even if you did, he would have remembered it this long. His anger goes as fast as it comes. Firebender nature."

"Oh." Mai seemed a bit disappointed.

"There's this girl, see, he's very interested in this girl. For some reason, though, she didn't come to the festival this time. I wonder why that is," Azula stated, conversationally.

"You think this girl really affected him that much?"

"Oh yes," Azula replied. "Ever since she left him, he's been moping. He doesn't even Firebend properly. Mother's afraid he'll eventually lose his ability to bend at all. Very unfortunate. I guess the throne skips him."

"Come on, she's just a little pipsqueak."

"Yes, Mai. But he loves her." Or at least he thought he did, but Azula had nothing to say on that, completely separate, matter to Mai of all people.

"You don't really think that... do you...?"

Azula smiled, perhaps a little too sweetly, and leaned forward, very close to her. "Ahh, Mai... Mai Mai Mai... never talk to me again, or I will set your lying selfish ass on **fire**." A pleasant smile, as she backed away. "Have a nice night."

* * *

**T**his was so stupid. Honestly, he was still so broken up about her. Hadn't Azula warned him not to end up broken up about her? ... and it wasn't surprising to note that meditating wasn't really helping matters either. His mind just kept going back to her. Everything about her, her eyes, her voice, her hair, her beautiful hands...

Ugh! A rather loud shriek of annoyance, as his fist collided with the floor. The candles in the room flared dangerously for a moment, influenced by his irriation.

He needed more explanation than just 'it's not my choice.' Why wasn't it her choice? Did her parents dislike him? No, that couldn't be right. If they didn't like him then why were they in the Fire Nation to begin with? Nothing was stopping them from going back to the Earth Kingdom if they disliked the future ruler. Ugh, his head was a mess, in more ways than the one.

He wanted answers. Real ones, thorough ones. Less vague and mysterious answers. Then, _then_, if they were acceptable answers, then he could let her go. Damn it all, when did Zuko get so possessive? They weren't really dating. Not really. But he... did he love her? Did he really? For a moment, his turbulent thoughts stilled, considering this. Did he _love her_? Was that why she was so important to him? Was that why he couldn't imagine another festival without seeing her?

His gaze fell to his hand. Silently tracing the patterns in his palm, following the lines. And he remembered the spark that had jolted through him when her hand touched his. This was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous.

But, if there was anything Zuko was, it was stubborn and relentless. Most believed that success and failure were two different things; that one's path only led to either one or the other. But those that got what they wanted knew that failure was an inevitable piece of the puzzle, an event, rather than a destination.

Maybe he did love her. Maybe he didn't. Maybe, he was just in the process of it, starting to take the first steps on the road named love. He didn't know where the end of this was. He didn't know which way it went, whether it turned this way or that, how it wound around itself and curled, like a snake coiling in the grass. But, he wanted to know. He _wanted_ to love her, if that was how it'd be.

Sometimes it wasn't the destination. Sometimes, it was the journey to get there.

His gaze shifted, to the candle sitting on a table to his left. Focusing, he extended his Chi to it, and it flared. And just like the candle, the fire in his eyes turned from a dim smolder to a determined flame.

He _would_ find her again. He didn't know how, he didn't even know where to begin. But he _would_. You don't win by not failing: you win by never giving up.

* * *

**Notes:** Hi Suyis. You're terribly difficult to keep **away** from the Azula these days... also, Zuko thinks Iroh is so confusing and then he goes and thinks like him, a bit. Awkwardbender.

UGH THIS CHAPTER BLOWS FOR TWENTY BUCKS. It is also painfully short. Glad it's over though. Never did have the will to write it.

Qiufen is the autumn equinox, known as Mabon. Occurs on September 20, 21, or 22, depending on precise solar position and all that. It is the second harvest, this being fruits and vegetable harvest instead of wheat. I think not long after this one is the Cider Fest in my town, it's very Native American in influence, and features lots of apple cider, hot and cold. Very fun. Believe we also have the Renaissance Faire out here around Mabon, too.

On the bright side, HUZZAH, AZULA HAS JOINED THE TOKO TRAIN~! My work here is done. Poor Ozai, he doesn't know what to do. Lol I feel kind of bad for him and Ursa because they're on the sidelines here, watching all this explode, and they have no idea... what they're even _looking at_...

Also, I seem to have garnered a little more attention with this fic and LTS than I was ever really expecting... ahahahaha. Anyway. Lots more where this came from, so for those of you that despair at the lack of Toko love on here, it is my mission in life (well, okay, one of them) to fix this.

And forgive the pacing, I can't seem to find a good median between 'they only talked for ten minutes,' 'but Cinderella and Prince Charming fell in love OVERNIGHT,' and 'it's been two months.' Yeeah... you see my predicament.


	5. Lidong

**LIDONG**

"**B**ut everyone will want to be the Painted Lady," Ty Lee was saying. "She's a very popular critter in the Fire Nation."

Azula paced the room. It wasn't her own bedroom, no, but one of the private studies, so that she and Ty Lee could have their peace. No one came in this room but the Fire Lord and Lady, so, it was the best option Azula could think of to keep Mai at bay. Despite her warning, Mai had been lingering, but very careful not to speak to Azula directly.

Clever wench.

"And what are you going as anyway?"

"Probably Koh," Azula answered.

"That's just lazy."

"Yeah, so it is. Well, the only other thing I can think of to make her would be the Peacock Princess."

"Or a badgermole," Ty Lee grumbled.

"Ty, honestly, badgermoles aren't _spirits_."

"I'm going to be a wolf girl."

"How quaint," Azula deadpanned. Well, whatever made her happy? A wolf... alright then. Not that she really cared what Ty Lee wore. But they did need to think of _something_ for Toph's costume because the girl wouldn't be deciding on it herself. Mai had it in her head that if she just kept the girl busy with her own, nothing would happen because she'd have nothing to wear.

That would be where Team Toph Costume came in. But they couldn't think of something suitable. It was terrible.

"Oh, maybe Avatar Kyoshi!" Ty Lee suggested.

"You joking? We don't have time to copy her clothing, it's too detailed."

"We could always ask the Kyoshi Warriors for help."

"Sure." Azula rolled her eyes, turning to an imaginary person to the side. "Hi, sorry to invade your territory for a short while, heedless of the fact you're isolationist, but could you help us copy your namesake's costume for Lidong?" And turning back to Ty Lee, a delicate eyebrow arching upward.

Ty Lee giggled. "Very diplomatic!"

A slight smirk crossed the Princess' features. "Hmm, yes, I do suppose that was relatively diplomatic."

"Hang onto that, Zuko's going to need your way with words."

Ha. "Yes, probably. He wouldn't know diplomacy if it slapped him with a dead fish."

"Well, why not Xi Wangmu?" Ty Lee suggested. "Her clothing is really intricate, but easy enough to copy. Would have to get kind of creative with Toph's hair, but I think we can manage between the two of us."

Azula thought about that. "The Goddess?" Xi Wangmu, if she remembered, was the Goddess of the West, of Torture, Punishment, Disease and Death. Ironically, also the Goddess of Love and Beauty. ... interesting choice.

"Yep," Ty Lee nodded. "We can even put her in green. Oo, or white and black."

"White and black. I like that idea," Azula agreed. "Alright then, we'll attempt it."

"What's Zuko going as?"

"Not sure." Hmm.

"We should stuff him up as Dongwang Gong." Dongwang, of course, was Xi Wangmu's husband. Lord of the East, fire and the sun. Strange, that couple was. But, somehow, they worked all the same.

"We'll need wings. Dongwang Gong's wings are very important."

"Sure they are. Hey, we can probably make them out of wire and crow feathers."

"I like your thinking, you're very creative."

"Heee, thanks." Ty Lee gave a bright smile. "White over black. We can do a more traditional sort of thing, he'll wear white over black. She'll wear black over white."

That was a - very corny suggestion, but it worked. "Sounds good," Azula nodded. "I'll go rummaging through his closet, I'm sure he's got something in there that'll work. What are we going to do about Toph's?"

"I need to find doves," Ty Lee said. "She'll have white wings to contrast his black ones, small ones for both so they don't weigh them down. I think I might be able to find something from one of my sisters for her to wear. You take Zuko, I'll take her?"

Azula thought, for a moment, and then nodded. "That sounds fine to me."

"Alright. Let's make this happen!" And Ty Lee jumped up and bounced from the room. Heh. Well. There were lots of things to do before Lidong. Better hop to, as well.

* * *

**T**his was probably the most agonizing day she'd ever lived through. The entire time, of course, Mai was going on and on about this or that idea she'd had to win the Prince's affections. Probably, the other girl was doing it on purpose. It was no secret how much, exactly, how far, even, Toph had fallen for him. Not irreversibly, she'd get over it as she should someday, she would. But there was still a startlingly big part of her that missed him.

"Make this as tight as you can," Mai ordered. "I have curves under there too. Mother says appealing to the man in him will work."

Toph snorted, but she did as she said, pulling the strings on her bodice as tight as she could.

"Heeeee! Too tight!"

A smirk. "Sorry miss, you said as tight as I can. Just doing what I'm told."

"Little ingrate."

A shrug. "Doing what you said to." It loosened, and Mai's breathing went back to normal. It wasn't like Toph really gave a crap what she thought. Nah.

"Are you still angry over this?"

Her tone gave Toph pause. Suddenly, she seemed honestly concerned about it, for now anyway. Given the chance, she'd eventually change her tune and decide that she didn't care anymore. Eventually, Toph shrugged. "Not really."

Mai sighed, tutting under her breath. "Darling, it's silly, if you convinced yourself the Prince ever loved you in any capacity."

"I never thought that."

"Oh, you say that, but your expression says otherwise. You've the look of a woman with her heart in pieces. It'll be okay. Someday, the pieces will come back together again, hm?" There was a moment of silence, before Mai rustled to the door. Her hair was up, in a very extravagant mess of curls and loops, strands of gold dangling from the black, and her dress was several layers of rustling black. She said she was Yiyi Huang, a supposed ancient enchantress.

"Why don't you run along, and prepare mother's night-time tea now?" Mai suggested. Toph shrugged and headed for the door, then. If Mai was finally done with her, then fine. She'd take it as a blessing and count herself among the blessed. Or something like that.

She stopped in the doorway. She fidgeted slightly, blind gaze turning to rest on Mai, though she couldn't see her. "Someday, he could have loved me." Even if he didn't right off, she thought, they could have gotten through it, and he could have. Just as she was.

"Ohh, dear..." Mai reached over, petting her hair, as if she were a mere pet cat and not a person. "Who could ever love a pebble in their shoe?"

It was sheer force of will that kept her from showing the upset upon her face. A rather rough shove, pushing Mai's hand away. That was fine. Yeah she was probably right. She nodded, then, turning away, and shuffling down the hall. The moment Mai's door closed, she broke into a run.

Screw the nighttime tea.

* * *

"**U**p!" The body the cheerful voice belonged to shook Toph loose of her bedsheets. "Get up! Not a lot of time right now!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Get up," Ty Lee repeated. "You're going to Lidong."

"Leave me alone."

"I said get UP!" And with that, Ty Lee pulled Toph to her feet and sat her in a chair. Carefully, Ty Lee began arranging her hair, brushing it out as gently as she could, and then looping it around itself. "You'll be the sight of the masquerade. I hear the royal family from the Southern and Northern Water Tribes is coming. I'm excited! It's a step in the right direction."

"And why do I need to be there?" Toph grumbled, attempting to return to bed before Ty Lee yanked her back into the chair. She, of course, was already in her wolf furs, complete with little pieces of bone carefully attached to her teeth. Probably had needed to barter with the Water Tribes to get enough furs to pull off the wolf spirit gig.

"Because, there's a certain Fire Prince looking for a certain lady."

Toph snorted, loudly. "I'm not a lady. And he'll never fall in love with me anyway."

"Sure he will, why would you say that? Azula thinks he already has."

Toph shook her head, turning down. "How can anyone love a pebble in their shoe?" she asked, repeating Mai's words.

Ty Lee stopped fussing with her hair, coming around the chair to kneel in front of her. "How can you think that?" Toph shrugged. "Did... did Mai say that?" Another shrug. Ty Lee sighed, shaking her head. "Don't listen to her. She wouldn't know love if it bit her."

"She loves the Prince," Toph suggested.

Now it was Ty Lee's turn to snort unladylike. "No," she said, shaking her head and standing. "She's obsessed with him. She doesn't love him. She cares nothing for him, and only wants to secure her family's place in the Fire Nation aristocracy."

Toph sighed. "At least she _has_ a family to secure a place for."

Ty Lee hummed slightly. "Well never mind her. You actually care about him. It's the start of love, if not love itself. We're going to make this happen. His sister's on your side, you know."

"Really?" That was news.

"Yep," Ty Lee chirped. "She helped me with your costume."

"And what am I going as?" Because knowing, that was probably a good thing in case anyone asked.

"Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West," Ty Lee answered. "Goddess of Torture, Punishment, Disease, Death, and also Love and Beauty." As she spoke, her hands twisted Toph's hair around, making it look appropriately regal. "She's royalty." Hehe.

A soft snort. "Yeah, servant girl dressing up as royalty, you know it's Lidong when..."

Ty Lee made a face. "Come on, you'll look great. Azula's going as Koh."

"The face stealer?"

"Yep. So, keep your expression neutral, or she'll steal it right off your head!" Ty Lee giggled.

A little eye narrow, but, Toph was slightly amused. "I'll try and remember that." Yeah, kind of needed her face for various things.

"Alright, there are two layers to this dress. Also comes with a bodice."

"Oh you're joking."

"Nope. So, you should probably get in it now, before your hair becomes even more a work of art." Ty Lee's smile was obvious through her tone.

Ehh, she was serious. A very put-upon sigh. She still hated stuffing herself in finery; that much hadn't changed. "Bring it on," she eventually said, holding her hands out. Ty Lee gave a little squeak and handed her the dresses.

"The one I gave you first goes underneath," Ty Lee told her. "I'll get the bodice on later. There's also a waist sash that goes over the bodice, but I'll get that one."

"Jeez. Certainly not skimping here, are you?"

"Nope," Ty Lee giggled. "The Queen Mother of the West must look the part yes? I'll be in the hall." With that, she wandered out into the hall, and closed the door, leaving Toph to figure the dress out. At least it wasn't too difficult. Getting into the second one without rolling the first one's sleeves up was a touch on the painful side, but, she managed it.

A few moments later, she let Ty know she was done, and the other girl came back in. A bright smile crossed her face. "Heee, I knew you'd look good in it." Some adjustments of the sleeves, as there were slits in the top dress' sleeves to show the under dress beneath it, and she stuffed the bodice on, tying it carefully.

Then she moved onto the sash - she'd lied, there were actually two. But, Toph didn't need to know that. Besides, the second was just a little white cord. Befitting, the under dress was white, with the topmost one in black, and the sash was black with the white cord over it.

In a means of contrasting and complimenting hers, Zuko would be in a white one, with black underneath, and a white sash with a black cord. Yes, she and Azula had managed that one rather well. "Also, wings."

"Oh you're kidding!"

"Hey now, the wings are symbolic," Ty defended. And they were white. Hehe. "They're not that big anyway. Couldn't find enough white feathers for bigger ones." But hey, not that they intended to make them particularly big to start with. Zuko's wings, of course, would be black. Hooking those into the bodice, carefully, so that they'd hold but wouldn't hurt.

"There," she stated, pleased with the outcome. "I'll find a necklace that'll compliment it. The wings will hold. Now, sit back down so I can finish your hair."

Toph sighed, but complied. The things she put herself through for Ty Lee's sake. Well, not surprising, Ty Lee was her only friend.

* * *

**J**ust a few more touches to it, and he'd be ready to head downstairs. He, of course, was not interested in going, more interested in pretending there wasn't a masquerade taking place several floors below his bedroom. It'd taken a heck of a lot of coaxing (and some well-meaning threatening) to get Zuko to even hold still while she got his clothing done. Unfortunately, his hair was too short to do much with, though still longer than it should be. Hmm... perhaps this way?

"Are you done yet?" Zuko's lackluster tone interrupted her thoughts.

"I would be," Azula ground out, "if you'd shut up and quit squirming."

"There's no point in my going to begin with, Azula."

"Sure there is. You know father was very disappointed you slipped out of Qiufen early."

"And you know why I did."

"I do," she replied, shaking his hair loose again and starting over. "But I also know you can't sulk in your chambers forever. The world didn't end, Zuzu. There are very important dignitaries here this year."

"Yeah?" he snorted. "How important?"

"Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, Princess Katara, also of the Southern Water Tribe, and Princess Yue of the Northern Tribe. I hear the Avatar, something with an A... is here, too."

"Pleasant." His tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Water Tribesmen always look like peasants."

A snort. "Well, you weren't complaining when _she_ still came looking like a peasant." He went quiet, his shoulders tensing slightly. "Sorry." Yeah... still an open wound. "But you can tolerate being nice to them. They have their ways, and we have ours, nothing wrong with that. Besides, it's good for diplomatic ties."

"You mean father's hoping one of us will get attached to one of them," Zuko deadpanned.

Azula scrambled for a proper response. ... and then deflated. "Yeah, pretty much. I hear both the girls are very nice, if nothing else, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make friends."

"I don't _need_ friends," he grumbled. "My family gives me a hard time enough as it is."

A tisking sound. "Well, your hair's done." Just needed... and sliding a golden pin through it. There. Smiling at her handiwork. Once, when she was fourteen, she'd realized she had no idea how to dress herself or do her own clothes. She'd been pretty adamant about doing it herself for once: one of the servants had been teasing about it.

Well, they were right. So, she'd learned how. Simple as that. Funny enough, now she could do _anyone's_ hair. Hehe.

"What am I, anyway?"

Heh. "Dongwang Gong, Lord Father of the East."

Eh. "Better than yours." A glance over her with his good eye. "Koh? You couldn't think up anything better?"

"I was too busy fretting about _your_ costume and getting you out of bed," Azula retorted. "Besides, I hear from the little grapevine something really interesting."

"... and what's that?" He seemed to observe with a guarded interest; guarded because Azula tended to lie sometimes and he couldn't ever pick out the difference.

"Well~" she started, a rather pleased tone in her voice, "I hear there's a certain blind dancer coming."

Zuko blinked. Strangely, at least most of his depression went away just like that. "Really? She is? Where'd you hear that?"

"Whoa, calm down Zuzu. I heard it from Ty Lee."

"Ty Lee would know?"

"Sure, they're close friends." Azula shrugged. "They spend a lot of time together between festivals." Well, that much was the truth.

"Oh." She was... right there, the whole time? Damn. Talk about a kick in the nuts.

Heh. "Well, I suppose if you want to see for yourself, you'll have to come down~. Ta ta~ and don't break those wings, those were a pain to make." With that, Azula sauntered off down toward the ballroom.

She was coming. If it was the truth, suddenly, the last few months of waiting seemed worth it. A glance at himself in a mirror: hm. Azula hadn't done so bad. A slight adjustment of his clothing, to get it to settle better. Maybe this festival wouldn't be so bad. Strangely, Azula had styled his hair in such a way as to very gracefully make his scar less noticeable. If he was careful, he might be able to just slip right under Mai's nose...

Well. Only one way to find out.

* * *

**T**he chattering taking place was a lot more noticeable when there were walls to make the constant din of conversation echo. Zuko had found Mai soon enough, sauntering around on the other side of the ballroom like she owned the place. She kept glancing around, looking for him no doubt. He ducked away every time her gaze started toward him.

"Hey Sparky!" His heart skipped a few beats as he turned... Ty Lee. ... very canine Ty Lee.

"What the heck are you?"

Ty Lee giggled. "I'm a wolf spirit."

"I see."

"Yours came out really nice," she said, reaching over and fiddling with a feather on the wings. "Wonder if Azula gathered all those feathers herself."

Zuko snorted. "Probably had the servants do it." Yeah, probably.

"Mm, so so. Well, I'll give you a hint, because I know what you're looking for: the one you're after is in black."

He tilted his head a bit. "I'm not looking for Mai."

"Oooh, she's not the only one in black this night. Oh look!" Ty Lee pointed. The royals from the Water Tribes. It'd seem the male, Prince Sokka no doubt, had also had the same idea Ty had. He, too, was a wolf spirit. Ha. The Princess with the white hair, he didn't know which was which, seemed to be wearing something mimicking the Moon spirit, ahh... Tui? He thought that was the one. The other Princess wore something blue and sparkly.

"Do you know which one is which?"

"Uhuh, the white haired one is Princess Yue and the other Princess Katara. Hm. The moon spirit was pretty obvious a choice for Princess Yue. ... think Princess Katara's a river spirit." A pause. "... that one was pretty obvious too."

Heh. "They look good though."

"Hey now," Ty Lee started, her tone warning, "there's already a lady in your heart."

"I know."

Ty Lee smiled. "I'm going to go talk to Prince Sokka. I wanna know how he made his necklace." She went ahead and did that, bouncing across the ballroom to go introduce herself. Apparently, they got along fine, because within a few minutes of talking, they were laughing and smiling like they were old friends.

Funny enough, Zuko eventually found the Avatar: turned out, he'd dressed up as Avatar Roku. That was so cheater-y. But not as much as the darker skinned male Azula was chatting up, off to the side. He seemed to be a pirate.

Zuko wove through a few dragons and Painted Ladies, swapping tips with one another. She had to be here somewhere.

"You must be Prince Zuko!" A very boyish voice called. Eep!

"For now I'm -" he started, his tone a bit severe, as he whipped around and came face to face with the Avatar. ... oh. Right. "Aaaah... hi. Yeah, that's me."

Strangely, the Avatar just giggled at him. "I'm Aang."

"Nice to meet you."

"Hey you know you're technically my spiritual great grandson?"

Zuko made a face. "... that's... awkward."

Aang giggled. "Yeah, kind of is." Zuko glanced around him, gaze darting around. Aang followed the movement, turning behind them for a moment. "Whatcha lookin' for?"

Ah... "A friend," he answered, rather lamely.

"A friend? Maybe I can help."

Zuko snorted. "I'm not sure what she came as. Just that she's wearing black, and is not the sorceress over there," a slight gesture at Mai.

"Ah. One of _those_ friends," Aang answered. "Well I'll leave you to it then. There's a water spirit over there I want to talk to."

Ha. Looked like one of the Princesses was already claimed by the Avatar. He gave a slight smile and a nod, watching the kid-like Airbender bounce over to her. They talked for a while, but, strangely, a much taller, probably Earth Kingdom, male approached Princess Katara and asked for a dance. ... and she accepted. Hmm. Poor Avatar. He deflated so obviously.

Not long after, Ty Lee and Prince Sokka apparently decided to follow suit. Ty looked about on cloud nine. Heh. Well, Lidong was oddly the season for much merrymaking and... weirdness.

He should go visit one of the ancestral shrines scattered around the ballroom. Hmm. That in mind, he wandered that way, toward the one farthest from Mai where he could keep his back to her. He reached into his waist tie, pulling a biscuit out and setting it on the well-kept altar. This one was for anyone's ancestor. There were a few to the Fire Lord's family, and one somewhere for the Fire Lady's, but, he felt like one for everyone's ancestors.

Besides, his father's side of the family sort of tanked, but, he didn't want to offend them by visiting his mother's side and not theirs. Offended ancestors tended to really be cranky.

A high pitched laughing drew his attention to the dance floor. It'd seem Ty Lee and the Water Tribe Prince were getting along rather well. As strange a thought as it was, it was kind of nice to see her happy. Maybe it'd blossom into something. Hmm. He was looking for someone... a slight bow at the altar, and he went melting through the crowd again.

* * *

_Breathe_. Certainly, she couldn't say she wasn't breathing. If she wasn't, she probably would have passed out on the veranda somewhere. The days were becoming cooler, and soon the first frost would grip the Fire Nation. It never snowed here, the Fire Nation's climate was too tropical, but around this time, back home in Gaoling, the first snow would come within a few weeks of Lidong.

She knew which one was him the moment she stepped in the room. The ballroom floor was made of a very nice pinkish-tan natural stone, lined around the edges in a decorative golden metal leaf pattern. From her understanding, that was relatively new: before Fire Lord Azulon had died, the Fire Nation palace hadn't even **had** a ballroom, naturally, and what was once a ballroom had been turned into a war room. Before then, all the floors and walls had been a very dark slate hue, near black in some rooms. Dark and intimidating. Now the colors were lighter and more welcoming, in part, probably due to Fire Lady Ursa's influence.

She followed his vibrations through the stone as he wandered across the floor. It was a little difficult to keep track of them through the muddle of other vibrations, both from people and from the drums pounding a rhythm. But it was a comfort to finally sense him again. She was just nervous. Yeah, probably just nerves.

It'd been months since they'd last seen one another. Perhaps it wasn't surprising.

About there, Ty Lee swirled past her, with someone Toph had never met, and then doubled back. "Aren't you going?" she asked.

"Eventually," Toph answered. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, Prince Sokka."

"Prince Sokka?"

"Southern Water Tribe. And... um, I'd point out the other two but I don't... see them the same way you do. Uh, the girl over there by the pillar, that's Princess Yue of the North, and the other one... um... closer to the door on the far right side, that's Princess Katara. Prince Sokka's sister."

"Right." She was pretty sure she'd totally forget that, given a few minutes.

"Well, anyway, you should go talk to Zuko. Go on, before Mai gets to him first." A gentle little nudge his direction, and Ty Lee flounced back over to Sokka.

A mental sigh. Alright. Well, she'd come all this way, tolerated Mai's gloating all this time, stuffed herself in three layers of holy hell, may as well. A breath in, and Toph wound through the crowd, just as Zuko went back to wandering himself, having paid respects to an ancestral shrine.

She fell into step beside him, and his gaze went down to her. He stopped, and she stopped with him, noting the subtle little changes in his heart rate. For a moment, he just looked at her, like he was saving the moment, hoping it'd last forever. Like time could have just stopped, the world could have come crashing down around them and all he'd see is her. Despite, or perhaps in spite of, herself, she found herself smiling a little.

Nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said. He moved, eventually, a smile of his own answering hers, reaching over to brush a strand of black off her shoulder. He shifted closer, wrapping his arms around her. Lightly, as if he were afraid of he held her too tightly, the illusion would break and she'd vanish. The tension slid out of both of them, as they stood there, wrapped in each other's embrace. Unfortunately, Ty Lee eventually twirled past, and let out a very gushy "Awwww!"

Neither was sure which one of them laughed first. And when they quieted, they rather happily went back to holding each other.

"Qiufen was horrible," Zuko whispered.

"Was it?"

He made a slight grunt noise. "Mai figured your absence was her open door."

"Unsurprising." A moment of pause. "I hear your Firebending's gone down the shitter."

"Yeah... that's not very surprising either." He still sounded disgruntled.

"You'd better fix it, Sparky. What am I going to do with a Firebender that can't Firebend?"

Heh. "Mmm, cuddles? Maybe?"

Ha. "We'll see. You ought to earn those though."

"And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?"

Hmm... good question. "Dance with me," she finally settled on. It'd been a while since they'd danced, but, the last time they had, she'd enjoyed it very much.

"Hum, here I was thinking you'd make me challenge someone to an Agni Kai to prove my Firebending isn't actually crap."

A laugh escaped her. "Nah. I'd rather enjoy this." Yeah. Next festival, it wouldn't be near so easy to duck under Mai's radar. It didn't _seem_ the girl had noticed who, exactly, Zuko was talking to, if she knew which one was even him to begin with. So long as she kept her eyes away from Mai, the other wouldn't be able to pick her out. She hoped.

"Well," he murmured, kissing her shoulder, "I think I can handle a dance."

"I guess we'll see about that."

He took her hand and led her across the floor, somewhere out of the way. She settled easily into place with him, and the two took to swirling around the dance floor. Relatively slowly, if only because Toph threatened to kick him where it hurt if he made her dizzy. Just like the last time they'd danced, incidentally also preceded by a threat, he still believed she would, and decided not pushing his luck was prudent.

After a bit, she eventually laid her head against his shoulder, not really paying attention anymore, just following his lead. The rest of the world could screw off for a while.

"You're being awfully quiet," he eventually commented.

Toph snorted. "Yeah. Trying to stick this in my mind enough that I'll never forget."

"Mm, we can do this at all the festivals if you want."

And that was the worst of it, wasn't it? Never really knowing if she'd get the chance to go to the next one. "Suppose we could," she said, choosing her response carefully. If he'd forgotten, she wouldn't remind him, not yet. And maybe if she let it alone long enough, she'd forget too.

* * *

**O**ut of the corner of his eye, he watched the two, swirling around on the dance floor, seemingly not a care in the world. Azula was making friends with the Water Tribe Princesses beside him. One of them was a little more naive and sheltered than the other, but, well it probably made sense. The Northern Tribe was the one place, besides Ba Sing Se, they'd never managed to break through, whereas the Southern Tribe had been utterly devastated. Last he'd heard, it'd been ten years since Sozin's War had ended, but the South was still recovering, with an insane amount of help from the Fire Nation. It was only right, they, after all, had been near completely destroyed by the Fire Nation.

"Hate to interrupt ladies," Suyis interjected, his hand coming to rest on the small of Azula's back, "but look." He gestured at the Fire Prince and his lady. Fitting. Zuko appeared to be Dongwang Gong, and his lady, Xi Wangmu.

When her gaze followed his gesture, Azula smiled. "That's her," she said. "The one he's been moping about."

Hm. He knew her. Rather difficult to forget eyes like hers. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been a little snot throwing rocks at the Fire Nation soldiers, probably not out of any sort of interest in defending her mistress' home. No, actually, her mistress at the time hadn't taken to her very hospitable welcome very much. She was gone within a few days. Strange to think she ended up in the very nation she hated so much not long after the incident.

"We've met," he finally said.

Azula tilted her head. "Have you?"

"A long time ago. She was a lot smaller back then."

"She's not really a... is she?"

"She is." There was a pause, and he leaned over, almost resting on her shoulder. "You should be careful with this one, Princess. Whoever her master is now..."

"Supposedly it's the other girl that trails Zuzu around."

"The lovesick one?"

"Yes."

"Especially careful. There aren't any laws against slavery itself, just against purchasing slaves within Fire Nation borders. The Earth Kingdom hasn't done anything about it either, preferring to turn a blind eye. Most slaves in the Fire Nation are purchased outside the Fire Nation and then brought in."

"They're still people aren't they?"

"Yes and no," Suyis answered. "They're considered half-man half-object. Many of them were criminals before being sold as slaves."

"She wasn't...?"

"No. She's the last of the Beifong line."

Azula tilted her head. "Beifong line?"

"They used to be nobility in the Earth Kingdom. From my understanding, another line married into it and dominated it. It's about the same as feudal lords: were the Fire Nation still in feudalism as the Earth Kingdom is, your noble lines could conquer one another and destroy each other, making any survivors slaves to the conqueror, as a warning to the others. The same thing happened here. Since she's the last Beifong by blood, she could have, when she came of age, laid legal claim to their estate and assets, and run the other lineage out."

"So that lineage sold her into slavery to prevent that?"

"That's my guess. Or perhaps the other lineage simply didn't want her lingering about." Either one was a possibility.

"I'll have to speak with my father about it, there might -"

"I wouldn't waste your breath, milady. Slavery isn't seen as particularly detrimental to the nations' economies, and actually, slave trade was partially what revitalized the Southern Tribe."

"No..."

"Lots of people go missing in the tundra. No one thought twice about it."

And just as soon as he finished saying that, Azula turned and got Katara's attention. "What do you know about slave trading?"

Katara blinked. Behind Azula, Suyis face palmed. "I... isn't slavery over?"

"See that girl?" Azula asked, pointing at Toph. Katara nodded, so Azula continued. "She's a slave from the Earth Kingdom."

"The Fire Nation still deals in slave trade?" Katara sounded angered.

"No," Azula corrected. "There are laws that prohibit the sale and purchase of slaves within Fire Nation borders. But there are none against having a slave."

"... the Fire Lord should have figured there would be those that'd go out of their way to get one," Princess Yue mentioned. "It seems only logical after such a law was passed that all slave trade would thereafter occur outside the Fire Nation."

"I guess father figured it'd curtail it, at the very least. I hear the Southern Tribes sold their own."

Katara went indignant. "Our people would _never_ -"

"Then how do you explain that girl over there owning a Southern Tribeswoman? She calls her a servant, but now I know better. During the war it was easier to turn prisoners loose into the hands of Fire Nation nobility as servants, but I'm starting to think my nation has confused servant with slave."

"Ah, also, some of your Southern Waterbenders were sold to the Fire Nation," Suyis added.

"And what would you know?" Katara asked.

"A lot more than you, apparently," he replied, his tone mild. "I used to serve in the Fire Nation military. I know far better than you do the full scope of what we've done to the rest of the world."

Katara relaxed, albeit not by much. They all fell quiet, before eventually Yue broke the silence.

"What can we do about it? It is what it is, and starting another war just to end it would break the world the rest of the way."

Azula frowned. "Not much. We're not national leaders, by far, but maybe we can encourage our nations to put stronger blocks on slave trade. Make it even harder for them."

"It doesn't account for the Earth Kingdom," Katara pointed out. "And you say this one at least comes from the Earth Kingdom."

"Perhaps it doesn't," Suyis shrugged. "But it's a start. Maybe immigration laws. Something about registration as a Fire Nation citizen before being allowed in."

"That sounds tyrannical," Azula answered.

"Well, so it does, but it'd at least keep Earth Kingdom citizens from being dragged into the Fire Nation as slaves against their will if they have to go through the Fire Nation government first. It'd also allow the government to intercede on behalf of any Earth Kingdom citizens brought in around the law, and the government could arrange for their return to the Earth Kingdom, or even the Fire Nation itself."

Azula considered that. "How does one release a slave now?"

"The slave would have to buy themselves back from their master. I would not recommend attempting this with her, if her master is the same one also after your brother's affections, she won't accept it, or raise the price."

Azula cursed. "Could I or my parents buy her?"

"Potentially," Suyis allowed, "but I don't know how far this girl might be willing to go in order to keep her out of your hands. She could probably guess easily what you'll do with her once you've bought her."

"Should have done something about this a long time ago," Azula grumbled.

"Well, not that I'm trying to defend him or anything, but, in your regal father's defense, he probably had a lot more pressing things to deal with."

Azula cursed again, mumbling about human rights and stalked off to find her father, presumably. Suyis, on the other hand, smiled at the Water Tribe Princesses. "Well, if you ladies will excuse me, I need a glass of wine." Seriously.

* * *

**S**he'd found him, eventually. It'd taken some work, but, finally someone pointed the Prince out for her. And of course, he was dancing with some hussy instead of her. Well, at least it wasn't Toph. ... unless it _was_... Mai's gaze narrowed slightly, watching the two dance. There was no way, right? She hadn't come to Qiufen, why would she suddenly chance it now? She frowned. She needed a better look.

With that, and the hopes Zuko would notice and become jealous too, Mai snagged the first male in range of her and dragged him off. "Dance with me, now," she commanded, in a flat tone.

"I - I was going to -"

"Don't care," she interrupted. It was sudden and jerky at first, but, eventually, the two joined the swirls of couples dancing about the ballroom. Once they'd gotten closer, she could tell. That was her. "The fuck is she doing here?"

The unfortunate soul she was dancing with gave a startled blink. "Er, sorry?"

"Nothing. Fuck. Okay. You're now my accomplice." The two meandered around the others, over to where Zuko and Toph were. It took some work, but, Mai managed to trip one of the other dancers up, causing them to fall toward the two as she led her partner further away. To her irritation, Zuko noticed in time to move himself and his dance partner out of the way, and then catch the falling dancer before they hit the floor.

"Alright?" he asked.

"Sure am, thanks," the other answered.

"Aha, no problem." He let them go, and turned back to Toph. She gave him a wry little smile.

"It was Mai," she whispered, very quiet, only for him.

"I figured it was."

"Hm, mind finding some cider?"

Zuko sighed. "Sure. Long as you promise not to vanish between now and when I come back."

"I won't," Toph answered. Zuko went ahead and slipped off. Toph, on the other hand, went after Ty Lee. Stopping beside her and her Prince, she whispered, "She knows I'm here."

Ty Lee stilled. "... did she say anything?"

"No," Toph answered. "But she did attempt to trip us up."

"We'll figure it out. Azula might be willing to take the rap."

"I can't go back after this, Ty, she'll kill me."

"No she won't, look, we'll figure it out. Calm down. Breathe. There you go."

"... well if I'm going to die when I get back..."

"You're not going die!"

"Yes I am." With that, Toph rustled back over to where she had been before, waiting for Zuko. A few moments later, he meandered over, and handed her a glass of cider.

"For the most beautiful woman here," he said.

Toph snickered. "You haven't even looked at anyone else."

"Nah. Don't need to," was his quiet response.

She breathed in, swirling the contents of her glass around merely for the sound it made. And then, out of nowhere, her free hand reached up, finding his jaw, and then pulling him down to her level for a very heated kiss. He made a squawk of surprise, just like he had at Liqiu, and then returned it, easily matching the fire behind hers.

And then his glass shattered in his hand, causing them to jump apart. "Ow... sorry, it didn't get you did it?" Zuko asked.

Toph shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She knew what had caused it, though. A little pin, out of Mai's hair. It took all her self-control not to take that pin, cross the ballroom and shove it in Mai's neck. Another pin shattered her own glass, eliciting a yelp.

"Oo, you alright?"

"Ow is a good word."

Zuko snickered. "Yeah, it is. Ah... exploding glasses... that's a new one."

"Sure is."

"I'll... ahh, here, hand me the pieces, I'll get a towel," Zuko said, holding his hand out. She gave him the shards of her glass, the ones she had, anyway, and he picked a few up off the floor before kissing her ear and meandering off. Hm, a Prince that did manual labor. Go figure that one.

Strangely, Azula came over to her. "What happened?" she asked.

"Um. Nothing like a fight or anything I just... uh..." Not really good at lying.

"It's alright, I know what you are, and I know what Mai is to you. Was it her?"

Right. "She threw a couple hairpins."

Azula cursed under her breath. "Don't leave without coming to me first."

"I - Princess, it's -"

"You **will** be here for Dongzhi. You will," Azula insisted, before turning and heading back out onto the dance floor, looking for someone, apparently. Spirits, this was a mess. And all Toph had done is save Jet's ass.

Last time she ever did that. Now she was in the middle of a war that, sometimes, she wondered if she even wanted to be a part of. And it was frustrating, because Mai had her practically in a proverbial box, and she knew it.

"Come out to the balcony with me," Zuko whispered. She hadn't noticed he'd come back, and nearly jumped in surprise.

"I..."

"Please?" Hm. She sighed, nodding slightly, and let him take her hand and lead her away from the crowds.

He probably had the right of it. Where Mai couldn't find them, that'd be a much better idea. It'd be easier, this way, to get to Azula before Mai found her first.

* * *

"**S**o what'd it do?" Discussing a moment with a turtle-duck, in years long gone. Zuko kept watching the stars, but Toph was content to lean against him and not move, listening to him ramble about whatever came to mind. It seemed the talking helped, in its way, for him to relax and enjoy the night.

Despite how long it'd been, the festival still had yet to die down.

"It bit me," Zuko answered, laughing a little. "Mom said that's what mothers are supposed to do, right?"

... well, she wouldn't really know. Her time with her own mother had been pitifully short. "I guess."

"What are your parents like anyway?"

"Quiet," she deadpanned. "Both have been buried for over ten years." A little shrug. "I hardly remember my father. He died when I was four. Fighting your grandfather, actually."

Zuko winced a bit. "Then... then what'd you mean?"

"What?"

"When you said... at Liqiu, when you said the choice isn't yours."

Toph snorted softly. "I think we'd better leave that one a mystery."

"Please? I want to understand. If I understand, then, maybe it won't be so frustrating when you go off and be somewhere I can't follow you."

Her hand reached up, resting against his cheek. "Trust me, you'd hate me if I told you."

He turned his head slightly, kissing her palm. "I want to, but I'm finding it hard to manage."

A sigh, and Toph sat up. "I'd better go." She stood, heading back in.

"Wait, are you coming? To Dongzhi?"

Toph paused, shrugging. "I don't know." There was a moment of silence. "Zuko, I'm not who you think I am."

"I think you're the woman of my dreams."

She snorted, quietly. "Maybe your nightmares, on a good day. See ya around, Sparky."

He caught her waist. "Don't," he started. "Don't leave me like this."

"Someday, Zuko, you'll find someone else."

"No I -"

"No, you will. You will, because I - I can't - I'm **not** who or what you think I am."

"How do you know? Do you know what I think you are?"

"No," she spat. "And I don't need to because I'm not that."

"Then what -"

"I'm a SLAVE, Zuko!" And then she realized what she'd said, gasping and covering her mouth, taking a few steps backward. And then she turned away, going back into the ballroom. "I... I'm sorry Prince Zuko I -"

"No." It was sharp. She stopped. He was silent, for a long time, his mind apparently attempting to process it. "... are... are you serious...?"

The gate holding the tears back released. And she took his hand and led him back into the ballroom, heading for Mai's vibrations. Mai's attention went to her as they got closer.

"Tell him," she said, carefully holding the sob back. "Tell him what I am. I know you want to."

Mai arched an eyebrow. "This is sudden."

"What do you have to do with this?" Zuko asked.

"Well Princey," Mai began, the slight commotion garnering attention from the others. Ty Lee noticed first, crossing the ballroom as quickly as she could toward them. "This girl's been a servant in my house for over three years. And she was forbidden from coming to festival. We're going to have a long talk when we get home."

"Yes," Toph whispered.

"Mai, how could you?" Ty Lee demanded, catching the tail end of the conversation as she hurried to Mai's side.

"Sorry," Mai replied. "I don't have to explain myself to anyone but my friends." The jab was obvious, though it only served to incite Ty Lee's anger worse.

"Where's my father?" Zuko asked.

"Zuko please -" Ty Lee started.

"Where," he interrupted, "is my father?"

"Talking to your sister," the golden pirate answered, sipping a bottle of wine. "She lied, by the way. She's a slave, not a servant."

Zuko gave him a hard look. "Does everyone know but me?"

"Fairly sure your respectable parents don't," Suyis replied. "But your sister knows, as does the little brown lady." A nod at Ty Lee.

"My name's Ty Lee."

"Ah, sorry then, Ty Lee," Suyis corrected himself.

"And who the hell are you?" Zuko asked. "Why do you know when I don't?"

"Suyis," he introduced. "Better known as Fei Xing."

Even Mai took a slight step back from him.

"Did you know that it's still legal to own a slave?" Suyis asked.

Zuko stared at him for a moment, before taking a still-crying Toph's wrist and pulling her toward the staircase. "Come," he barked behind him. Suyis trailed behind him, as did Mai. "Not you, Mai." Mai stopped then.

"You're taking _my_ slave you know," she called after him.

"And I'm the Fire Prince, so get over it," he answered. "Now, talk, everything you know," Zuko demanded, once only Suyis was in earshot.

Suyis shrugged. "The prisoners from the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom that were captured and held in Fire Nation prisons were lucky if they survived and lived to see themselves released at the end of the war. But there is a finite amount of room in these prisons. Some of them had to be moved elsewhere. Guess where they went."

"Is she...?" Zuko asked, gesturing at Toph.

"No," Suyis answered. "Like I told your sister, she was sold into it in the Earth Kingdom. At some point, someone, whether it was the lady's family or not, purchased her in the Earth Kingdom and brought her to the Fire Nation. The only law against slavery is dealing in the trade within Fire Nation borders."

"What am I fighting against here?"

"Slaves aren't considered citizens. She's technically viewed as half-woman, half-object." Zuko made a growling noise. "I know, I feel the same way, but it is what it is. The only way to free her is if she buys herself. How much were you?"

"Six hundred gold," Toph hiccupped. "But Mai raised it to nine hundred and six bolts of silk."

"Figures. The master can change the price. A lot of slaves are duped by this, working double-time to earn enough gold to buy themselves back, but once they earn enough, the price has changed," Suyis explained, for Zuko's benefit. "The master could choose to free their slaves of their own will without requiring a price, but the chances of that lady back there doing that are really slim."

Zuko finally stopped in front of a set of doors, marked with the Fire Nation emblem. "My father's study. If they're not here, I don't know where they are," he explained. A breath in, and he shoved the door open.

Sure enough, Azula was there, talking to both Ozai and Ursa. "Ah, Zuzu," Azula cheerfully greeted.

"Not now," he ground out. "Father, we need to talk."

"Why does everyone want my attention now?" Ozai asked out loud.

"Because, your fieriness, this is an issue now," Suyis answered.

"... Fei Xing. Well, haven't seen you in a long time."

"I liked it that way," Suyis answered. "Meant I wasn't in trouble."

Ozai snickered.

"They're both here about the same thing."

"Are they. Zuko, what do you care about slavery?"

Zuko took a breath, pulling Toph in front of him. She shrinked, a slight bit, back into him. "This is my girlfriend."

Toph made a face, just as surprised by the declaration as everyone else present was. "Your what?"

"And she's a slave."

Ursa made a slight little movement, warning Ozai to keep his wits and not slap his son out of instinct. "Zuko, you're next in line to be Fire Lord," she started, relatively diplomatically.

"I know. But I know now. I wondered, I thought, I discussed. But I know. She's the one I want."

"You couldn't pick a noblewoman?"

"Dad, I love her!" A pause. "And mother's not exactly nobility either." No, not exactly.

Ozai started to say something, and changed his mind, several times. "Your mother is relatively close."

"But not exactly. You and I both know that."

"Alright, calm down," Ursa interjected. "I'll get some tea, and we can talk. Civilized, okay?" Ozai eventually nodded, and Zuko led Toph to a chair. Talking, they could probably handle talking. Probably.

* * *

"**I** can't believe he went with it," Zuko exclaimed, flopping onto his bed. "I thought for sure he was going to beat my ass."

Azula snorted, lightly. "Yeah, I thought the same." Their father was less than pleased with the idea, but, well, Ursa really hadn't been nobility, not really. Though descended from Avatar Roku, they hadn't lived a particularly glamorous life, nor was she anyone's lady, until Ozai had proposed to her. And, she and Ozai had fallen in love much the same way Zuko had fallen in love with Toph. Too many festivals spent dancing with one another.

And he'd fought his father the same way Zuko fought him. It was... probably a bit of a shock, deja vu, watching his son insist bloodline really didn't matter, as long as they were happy. Eventually, Ozai had relented. He'd look into the current situation with the slave trade, figure out what to do about it, and in the meanwhile, Toph would be in the Fire Nation palace, kept as far away from Mai as possible.

"You said you love her," Azula stated. "Are you sure?"

For a moment, Zuko was quiet. "Yeah. As sure as I'll ever be."

"It'd be a riot if you changed your mind later."

"I have all this time now to get to know her."

"She'll defer to you now," Azula pointed out. "You and everyone else is now aware she's lower than you. It could get her in trouble if she didn't."

"I don't want her to," Zuko protested. "That she doesn't is the reason I fell for her in the first place."

"Well, you can't really help it. Maybe she'll level back out and stop again." Azula shrugged. "But, she is lower than you in caste. It's expected that she be respectful, and since you went out on a limb and fought with dad like that over her, it makes sense to me that she'd try not to cause you any trouble."

Zuko groaned, flopping over onto his back. "I hate this higher than her crap."

"Well, so do I."

"She really nobility?" he asked, raising his head and arching an eyebrow. "She doesn't act like it."

"Well, by blood she is. Suyis tells me -"

"Suyis?"

"Fei Xing," she corrected, "tells me -"

"First name basis?"

A snort. "Yes. Now stop interrupting. He tells me she was sold into slavery very young, so, no doubt it's just what she's used to now. I don't know the full of it, but, something about another lineage marrying into her family, and then kicking her out after her parents were gone, as once she came of age, she could have laid legal claim to her father's estate and kicked the others out."

"Couldn't she still do that now?"

Azula shrugged. "Maybe. It's something to look into and think about, perhaps."

Hmm. "Might have to. Kind of sad that circumstance just sort of tossed her into slavery like that."

"Things happen like that. Really, we're very lucky, you and I."

"Starting to get that idea."

"Anyway, you'd better get some sleep, probably. Tomorrow, you're helping me research the slave trade so we can figure out where to hit it the hardest."

Zuko frowned a little, sitting up on his elbows. "But I wanted to spend tomorrow with Toph."

"She's not going anywhere anymore. And I think mom and dad want to talk to her themselves."

Uh oh. "That can't bode well."

Azula shrugged. "Maybe they'll get attached to her, too." Maybe. And if they did, it wouldn't end up quite so awkward, having her around. She wasn't exactly being treated as a servant, but sort of as a guest of the Fire Nation royal family. That in and of itself was awkward.

* * *

**Notes:** Trufax, I was looking forward to this chapter for YEARS. Like, even before I started on the first fic. In my head it was just AAHHHHHHHHHH YES!

Um. Thanks guys, for ruining my outlines. Uh. I may need to wing it again like I did LTS, because Toph ruined my outlines by blurting that out and then Zuko proceeded to totally pulverize the ship by dragging her to Ozai. ... works I guess. Still a few twists we can still pull off. I don't think it got derailed _too_ badly.

In other news, sorry this took so long, silly father forgot to pay the electricity bill and they shut it off. Took them two days to turn it back on once it was paid. Pff. My head was going crazy with ideas at 3 in the morning by the light of a hurricane lamp and naturally, once I got the chance to write it all down, poof~ I was going to try writing it in a notebook and then copying it onto the computer when the electricity came back on, but I decided I valued sleeping before dawn.

Mai amuses me. Always slides into the villain role so easily. She's more meant to be a comedic relief here on out. At least until the end of the fic. ... also, Susu, seriously, dressing up as a pirate when you ARE a pirate is just totally cheating. Seriously.

Ty Lee and Sokka. D'awww. I'm such a crack shipper.

Lidong is otherwise known as Samhain. It'd be better recognized as All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween. It is the official start of winter, and the one night of the year the veil between this world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. As such, it was originally a time to honor one's ancestors. Ancestral shrines are set up or cleaned, and I envisioned the festival itself as a masquerade: whether we intend to or not, usually, that's how we celebrate it today.

These days, the date is October 31, but sometimes it is cited as being held from sunset on the 31st to sunrise on November 1, and the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is November 1 - November 2. These dates also correspond with All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day. It is my favorite holiday of the year, and for Pagans, Celtic polytheists, and Wiccans, it is also the day one year ends and another begins, making it the New Year. Very big deal.

If you're curious, Xi Wangmu and Dongwang Gong are actual deities, from Taoism. The Queen Mother represents Yin, and is the mother and protector of women who transcend mortality and become Taoists, whereas the Lord Father represents Yang, and I believe he may have creator connotations, though information on him is relatively scarce; I understand he's a Fire God of some kind, possibly solar as well. They are, in fact, married, though they don't see one another very often, as their contrasting natures tend to make them a danger to one another, from my understanding. They are, however, held to be very in love with one another, and I think they have a son, a water god. Don't quote me on the last.

Also, you guys should probably be reminded, as a few of you have expressed frustration with the situation up to this point, Mai has, or well had, complete control over Toph's life. I attempted to explain this in this chapter itself, so everyone understands the exact potential ramifications, and Azula of course took it upon herself to tear at it directly and then her brother followed suit. As far as where I got this, I'm working off slave treatment in ancient China. It's extremely obscure, so a lot of it is fudging on my part. I think a fair bit of her fearless persona was probably a result of growing up actually extremely entitled, but she had a very different upbringing here. She's not used to getting her way, in any form, whereas her parents, while protective, seemed to spoil her rotten.

Personally, there was probably also a good bit of not-good-enough complex holding her back, at the same time. Which... well let's be serious, she's a slave, he's the future Fire Lord, it makes sense. Even if she **was** technically Earth Kingdom nobility, she is not now, and has not been for a long time. So, there's my logic. Hopefully that'll clear some things up.

And just... forgive all the typos when you see them, I tend to make very very few of them as I go along, so. Probably nothing too terrible. I didn't comb over it particularly thoroughly. I did just go back over it and fix a few points. Thanks to everyone that's been enjoying the fic, despite the very big differences between it and the series. Ah. This is, as a side note, the halfway point - we have four more chapters before Monochrome is done.


	6. Dongzhi

**DONGZHI**

**P**acing. Shuffle shuffle. Pace pace. Okay, really, he honestly just needed to settle on something. Eventually, he just groaned.

Suyis, naturally, laughed at him. "Wow, your royal fieriness, how utterly eloquent."

"Don't make me kick you," Zuko warned.

"Oo, yeah, you're right, might hurt a little." Unsurprisingly, Suyis didn't sound particularly threatened. Well, Zuko was a small shit, and Suyis had taken hits from worse than him over the years. Finally, the ex-soldier set both the necklaces down, one a very sparkly clear stone teardrop hanging from two strands of the same stone layered into a downward curve, meeting only to hold the teardrop in place, and the other a ruby, crowned with a star-shaped string of white.

None of them, of course, could she even _see_, so it probably didn't matter the colors. Zuko was just fretting like he always did when it came to his lady. "Well, how about something simpler?" Suyis suggested, pulling a very simple gold chain from his pocket. Dangling from the chain was a golden open heart-shaped pendant, with a relatively humble ruby teardrop hanging from the heart's inner point. Zuko blinked at it.

"That... is absolutely gorgeous," he breathed.

Suyis smiled. "Sure is. Found it on my last trip to Shu Jing."

"You sure you'd be willing to part with it?"

"Eh, why not," Suyis shrugged. "I can probably find something similar, if not a little more sparkly, if I really want." He held it out for Zuko to take, which he did, very carefully, as if it would break if he held it too tightly. Hell, it might, actually. "I was going to give it to your sister, but, I think it's a little too..." he trailed off, searching for the right term.

"Modest," Zuko filled in with a slight snort. "Azula likes shiny things. ... and diamond."

"I figured as much."

A comfortable silence settled between them. Since Lidong, Zuko had been able to spend at least every other day more or less entirely in Toph's presence. Suyis had been hanging around, partly out of interest in spending his days in Azula's presence, and partly because Ozai had asked him to help with security, to ensure Mai never got her hands on Toph again. Thus far, he'd decided to scatter guards all over the general area of the palace Toph was in, posting one right outside her window, and two at her door. One of them was bound to notice if Mai attempted to slip in.

Toph probably wasn't alone for anything but sleeping these days. There was always someone relatively close to her. But, she understood why, and didn't really mind it all that much. She was, probably, in her own way, quite scared that Mai _would_ get her if they let her alone too long.

She spent her off days outside in the courtyard, usually with either Suyis, Azula, or Ty Lee nearby, and for the first time in a very long time, practiced Earthbending. In just the last few months alone, she'd become a startlingly skilled Earthbender. It was almost a shame Mai's habit of keeping her insanely busy and working her so much cut into her time to practice, and thus her skill had nearly gone to waste.

"I'm nervous," Zuko confessed.

Suyis laughed at him. "Yeah, we all are."

"What if she doesn't actually like it? I mean, would she _tell me_ that or just accept it and smile?"

"Sometimes, my dear royal headache, it's not really the gift itself that matters."

"... now you've confused me."

Suyis snorted. "Women are sentimental. It's not the necklace she'll be thankful for, but, rather that you thought to get her a gift for Dongzhi in the first place."

Zuko nodded, slightly, apparently still processing that. "... but I want her to like the necklace itself, too."

"She's _blind_, honestly. The nuances of it will be completely lost on her anyway, so may as well be happy about it. The most she'll notice is that it's in a rather lovely heart shape. And if I do say so myself, that's a _very_ lovely heart shape."

Zuko still didn't seem all that convinced. Suyis patted his back.

"Come on, it's not so bad. You just have to remember that, with jewelry and this particular lady, it doesn't matter what color it is, just whether it's comfortable to wear, isn't too heavy, doesn't jab her anywhere or make her itchy -"

"Jewelry can do that?"

"Well, yes," Suyis nodded. "Depending on the materials used in the jewelry's creation, some elements can cause ah, rather undesired results. Like, itching, some rings will turn a person's finger green."

"Wow."

"Yeah, it's a bit tricky. And merchants that want your money really aren't all that forthcoming about _what_ exactly it is. 80% of them will lie, the other 20% really don't fuckin' know."

Zuko deflated a bit. "Then, how do you tell?"

"We'll get to the rings part later. This is made of solid gold, so, it shouldn't react to her skin chemistry too terribly. With any luck, it'll be fine. If it does, well... let me know and I'll take it to a friend that can plate it to keep the metal from reacting."

"Jewelry is complicated."

Suyis shrugged. "Not really. It's a lot simpler when your girlfriend is blind." Aha. "She won't know if the metal turns her skin green. So we can fix it without her ever knowing it did it to start with."

Heh. "Thanks."

"Yep."

After some hesitation, Zuko asked, "So... you really like my sister?"

Suyis smiled. Yeah, had a feeling that was coming. "Hmm, what can I say that won't be very gross to you. I do, yes. I love her scent, and her voice, it's soothing to me."

"When I was a kid, I thought her voice was nerve gratingly annoying."

Ha! "Well she's your sister, I'm fairly sure that's normal." Yeah, probably. "I've hurt enough people in my lifetime, your miniature fieriness, and I'm only in my twenties. I'm done hurting people."

Hm. "I can respect that."

"Then I thank you for it." A subdued little bow. "But, you should probably get going. Else your lady will be very upset with you for being late to lunch."

"Ha, yeah. Thanks for the help."

"No problem." Hm. You know, Suyis could get used to this. ... weird...

* * *

**S**he did this with her every morning. When Toph woke up, there'd soon be an Ursa, usually seated off to the side somewhere, helping the servants decide what to hand her to wear that day. They chatted about random things, nothing and everything, a general idea of where everyone would be throughout the rest of the day, as the servants brushed her hair out and gently put it in a little top-knot, similar to the one Azula usually wore her hair in. Some days, they brushed the loose bangs back and slid a comb in to keep them out of her face. Other days, they didn't bother. And then Ursa would take her on a walk around the gardens, and they'd talk about whatever, sometimes nothing at all.

Ursa was always very gentle and patient, both with her and the servants. They weren't ill-treated or demanded of. From her understanding, they were paid: they lived and worked in the palace and earned a weekly amount of gold they could spend any way they chose. Some had family outside the palace, some didn't. It was a relatively far cry from what Toph had been living: she wasn't a servant, they were right. At least, not if they were all treated the way the palace servants were.

When she'd first arrived, Toph had attempted to slide into the role of a palace servant. It'd been the Fire Lord that noticed first. And he rather immediately went down to the kitchens to yell at whoever had let her do that to start with. But, serving was really all Toph knew, and not having to do _anything_? It was foreign. It was awkward. She had no idea what to do with herself here.

As with every other day, Ursa had chosen something thick enough for the colder weather, but not heavy enough to be a real hindrance. If there was anything that annoyed her a good deal, it was clothing that got in her way. Ursa appeared to have picked up on that much relatively quickly. It was probably a good thing: though Toph had begun to settle into the new environment, a bit, she wasn't quite comfortable enough just yet to make requests. Hell, trying to have a conversation with her was still... rather awkward.

Then she led Toph down to the gardens. And Toph tried not to fidget too much.

"I have some news you might like," Ursa started, breaking the silence. She didn't seem too unnerved by said silence, but, well she seemed... unnerved by very few things anyway. "An Earthbender friend of mine in the Order of the White Lotus will be accompanying my brother-in-law, General Iroh, back to the Fire Nation capital when he returns for holiday. If you've yet anything to learn from him, he'll happily teach you."

"Really?" Ursa nodded, making a mhm sound. Toph frowned a bit, before asking, "Why are you being so nice? Is it just because of Zu - er Prin -"

"It's fine," Ursa interrupted. "He rather you call him by just his name anyway. And yes, in part, our kindness is a gesture of good will, I suppose, in hopes that maybe you'll settle in and be comfortable here. I think a part of my husband's kindess is a manifestation of his feeling personally responsible for the situation that landed you here. His lack of attention in matters of the more quiet issues that were left in the War's place eventually brought you away from your homeland. But, a good deal of it is, we want to get to know you. If Zuko has his way, you'll be our daughter-in-law someday. My son's very serious about you."

Toph flushed pink a good deal. Ursa sounded a bit bemused, adding, "Ah, I happen to like the young girl I see sometimes, in the courtyard. Lovely girl that seems to feel more alive when Earthbending. She's got a much stronger spirit than she lets on, hm?"

Mm. Very observant, the Fire Lady was. Strange to think they might be paying that much attention to her. But, Ursa had the right of it: someday, there was a chance she'd be related to them. "She does," Toph agreed. "Just, sometimes, she doesn't know what to do with it all."

Hm. "I can understand that."

They walked in relative quiet, for a few moments.

_Oh come on, she's probably not going to bite. Nerve, where did yours go?_ "Um, Ty Lee mentioned um, the whole gift exchange thing that people usually do at Dongzhi."

"Ahh," Ursa smiled. "And you want to get something for Zuko, right?"

Toph nodded.

"Well, I think we can manage that. If you stay behind after lunch time, Azula and I can take you to the market, and we'll find something he'll like."

A quiet smile crossed Toph's face. "I'd like that. Um, but I don't have anything to pay for -"

"I'll take care of that," Ursa decided. "And no arguing, it's fine. You two being happy, that's payment enough."

Hm. "Well, can I at least give you a thank you?"

"I think a thank you is just fine."

"Then, thank you, very much."

They walked in silence after, but, rather than an awkward silence, it was comfortable, almost warm. Now, they understood each other better. They were just two women that both happened to want Zuko to be happy.

* * *

**A** loud feminine scream tore through the halls. The servants bustling around the hall stilled, some of them dropping whatever they were carrying. The scream was followed by giggling rather soon after, though, and a male voice cussing. The servants carried on, and the guards relaxed, some of them smiling a bit. It'd been a while since they'd heard that, and, oddly, the sounds were calming.

A sudden crash and a squeal, and Azula tore out of Zuko's room and shot down the hall, armed with only a pillow. Zuko followed, also armed with a pillow, and shot after her, catching her around the waist a few feet out, sending them both crashing to the floor. Azula squirmed around in his grasp, smacking him over the head with her pillow several times.

"Nope!" He gleefully declared. "I got you, I win!"

"NEVER!" Several more smacks, and she carefully scrambled out of his grasp. "You have to keep a hold of me to win!" And up she went, as he lunged for her again and missed, crashing into the floor solo, as she zipped down the hall again. A loud curse, and Zuko scrambled after her, nearly slamming into the wall along the way.

The both giggled the entire way, eventually passing their parents as they zipped out onto the veranda and then into the courtyard. For a moment, Ozai and Ursa just watched them zip around the courtyard, startling several birds out of the trees, and then laughed themselves. It was one of the many creative ways they thought up to keep one another in shape: oddly enough, Ozai and Ursa themselves had started it, mostly as a means of keeping Ozai from razing the palace to the ground in frustration after a particularly headache-inducing meeting. Yet it did have a neat side effect of keeping them in physical shape, and being a lot of fun.

"AAHH! ZUZU THAT'S CHEATING!"

"It is not!" Neither Ozai nor Ursa caught exactly what was supposedly cheating, but there it was.

"EEEEE!" And Azula near slid off a cliff. Barely, Zuko managed to pull her back up before she took a tumble. The both were so worn out, they settled on a neat little truce. ... for now.

"We should probably set rules," Ozai mentioned. "No running through the grounds."

"Pillow fights strictly in the palace," Ursa agreed. Because apparently, pillow fights across the grounds were dangerous. Hm. Only those two would turn pillow fights into a dangerous venture.

Most wouldn't guess it, as she was rather quiet and demure, but, Ursa had actually started the first pillow fight. Ozai had been venting in her direction about some odd peace treaty problem, and she'd listened, of course, for a time, offering advice here and there. Finally, she'd just stood up, marched right up to him, pulled his hair out of its topknot and messed it up before darting away. And he'd been so stunned, he had no idea what to make of it. He kept glancing between her and the candles, before finally asking, "You really are Ursa, right?"

And she'd picked up a pillow, holding it aloft as if a sword, and smugly replied, "Why don't you come and see? Arm yourself soldier!"

It'd become a tradition of sorts. Whenever he got too stressed out, Ursa would chase him around. Somehow, it worked. And, of course, eventually, the kids had caught onto it. The Fire Lord and Lady couldn't even seriously protest against it, because that'd be... well, only exceedingly hypocritical.

"Okay, _now_ will you hold still for me?" Azula asked, returning to the palace with Zuko.

"I guess," he huffed. "Suppose you've earned it."

Azula gave him a playful shove. "Whatever, twit. Hey, did you get the girl anything?"

"Yeah, actually, Suyis didn't tell you?"

"He hinted at it, but didn't outright tell me." A pause, and a sly little smirk crossed her face. "First name basis, huh?"

"Oh shut up."

"You were asking for it," Azula sing-songed in response. Zuko just rolled his eyes. His sister was so childish sometimes. But then, so was he, so he wasn't really one to talk. Or, rather, think. Either one.

"I guess I can let it go," Zuko grudgingly said. "So, what am I wearing?"

"Well, I don't know, you wouldn't hold still!"

A quiet laugh. "Fair enough."

"I hear Ty Lee is stuffing her in something furry. So maybe we'll make a Fire Nation bunny out of you, too." Yeah, sounded good to Azula.

Zuko snorted. "Cheater."

"Hey, work smarter, not harder. Besides, I want to see Mai's face with you two traipsing about the ballroom in matching outfits all googly eyes at each other." A pause. "... okay, so, Toph doesn't googly eyes... you, on the other hand, seem to go to a totally separate universe when you're in her presence." If he hadn't already declared his love for her, it would have been pathetically obvious. ... it was still pathetically obvious. Adorable, but still.

"I'm... apparently rather transparent."

"Yes, I'm coming to realize this." Ah, well, so it went? Oh, parents. "Hey!"

"No more pillow fighting across the grounds," Ozai immediately declared. Both Zuko and Azula responded with a disappointed 'awwww.' "I mean it," he iterated. "Apparently you two can't run around the palace grounds without nearly turning it into funeral fodder."

"Hey, he caught me," Azula pouted.

"Just barely," Ozai grunted.

"But it is good to see you two in such high spirits," Ursa added.

"Ah, at least it's not annoying," Azula snickered. That was a good thing, yes. Right, getting the Zuzu back upstairs so they could figure out what he was wearing, exactly. "Funny how we can zip across the grounds in such a very short period of time. And here I thought the palace grounds were pretty big."

"They are," Zuko said. "We... are just very quick when excited?"

"Apparently so." Yeah, apparently. Well, up the stairs. "Come along Zuzujuju, up the stairs with you. Hee ho, figuring out what the prince is wearing. I still think red and fur. Fluffy! Sparky and fluffy!"

"Oh jeez," Zuko rolled his eyes, "now I'm fluffy too."

"You've always been fluffy," Azula stated. "Fluffy and cute. ... and kind of whiny."

"Hey now." Well, to be fair... he kind of was...

* * *

**A**t least they hadn't decided to chase one another all the way into the ballroom. They chased each other down the hallway, sure, Azula ahead of Zuko of course, because he seemed to give her a little extra leeway, but they stopped before they got to the actual room. The floors were sprinkled with sparkling glitter that was probably meant to mimic the snow that many other places in the world were presently getting. Frilly white curtains framed the windows, lightly frosted over - the worst the Fire Nation would get in the winter was a light dusting of frost, nothing ever much worse. Unless of course a volcano erupted on one of the islands: then they'd get ash.

In the center of the room was a bonfire, contained in a glass and metal cylinder that fed the smoke through several pipes that went outside. Occasionally, one of the guests would move over to the fire, throw a log in, and then go back to whatever had their attention before. The log was an important aspect of Dongzhi, and the fire in the ballroom was only ever present for Dongzhi.

Azula, not long after, flounced off to go find Suyis, leaving Zuko by the stairs, waiting for Toph. At least he knew she'd be coming now. There wasn't any looking around and hoping she was there, he knew she was. And if she wasn't, she would be. Ty Lee, of course, had dragged her off to her room earlier that day to fix her hair up and get her dressed. He caught sight of Mai, some ways away, probably looking for him, but fortunately presently occupied by a glass of hot cider. Good. He wouldn't get his hopes up too high, but, maybe she'd stay occupied with that for a bit.

And then a feminine giggle from the stairs caught his attention. Turning, yes. Hmm. His dad was apparently escorting a furry Toph down the stairs. She wore mostly red, trimmed in tan fur, but it looked good on her, actually. Hmm, vaguely, he remembered seeing Ty Lee wearing something similar, if not exactly that, once or twice.

"Ah, and here's your Prince," Ozai said, as they reached the landing and turned. He reached over to place her hand in Zuko's. "I should find my Lady."

"She's over there," Zuko offered, nodding at where Ursa was.

"Ah, thank you. You two don't have too much fun now." With that, Ozai weaved through the crowd toward Ursa, leaving the two alone.

"Well, ahh... you look like a Fire Nation bunny," Zuko said.

"Is this a good thing?" Toph asked.

"Not really a bad thing. I think it looks good on you."

Heh. "Thanks then." Because he'd kind of just roundabout awkwardly complimented her, yes. "You weren't too busy crowd watching were you?"

"Nah." His gaze flicked around, finding Mai in the crowd. Still busy, but definitely looking for him now. "Shall we escape again?"

"Yeah," Toph agreed. "I'm not really into staying where she can find us." Not really. Though she had no doubt it wouldn't be too much of a problem, she knew Mai too well to know how sneaky she could be when she wanted to be.

So, Zuko tugged her to the side, not out onto the balcony, but out around the side, where Mai would have trouble finding them. Zuko sat down, and Toph settled beside him.

"Seems kind of like cheating," Toph said. "Always slipping away before she notices where you are."

Zuko snorted. "Staying in her presence tends to be more trouble than it's worth."

Heh. Yeah, so it did. Toph could get behind that.

"Feeling any less awkward?" he asked.

Toph thought about it, for a moment, before shrugging. "Not really," she answered. "Your mother and I are getting along swimmingly though. I actually managed to ask her for something a few days ago."

Zuko blinked in surprise. "Well, go you." No, seriously. "Mom's not that bad though. Dad's got a bit of a temper, but mom's never really had one. And she's really, really polite. Kind of scarily polite."

Heh. "Yeah, I'm noticing. I find I kind of like it. Which, believe you me, is really, really weird." No, seriously, it was really freaking weird.

"Getting along with my parents is a good thing though. It does mean I probably won't have to beg them to bring you back after they send you off."

A snort. "You would?"

"Like a little whiny bitch."

Toph giggled at that. Hard to imagine him as a little whiny bitch. Then again, he did whine occasionally, from what she'd been observing. Sometimes, she just tucked herself off to the side, working on some embroidery project or something, and listened to him and his sister banter back and forth. They had the most amusing conversations sometimes. She let out a little sigh, and laid her head on his shoulder.

"How did this happen, Sparky?"

A quiet airy snort. "You know, I'm not entirely sure. Azula and I, we were actually convinced I'd be single for the rest of my sad life."

"If your life is sad," Toph snorted, "then I don't want to know what mine is."

"Hn. Yours was just circumstances out of your control. Mine... I've always been a bit temperamental and not really known to be well-versed in the ways of patience and positive thinking."

"And you're still not," Toph added.

"Heeeey. I mean it's true but hey. My ickle feelings are wounded."

"D'aww, poor Sparky."

Zuko smirked. "Kiss it and make it better."

"Nope," Toph snorted. "Man up."

"Pff. That's what mom says."

"She's right." There was a pause. "So you know, I love you too." She'd never gotten around to that, huh?

Zuko smiled, reaching over and taking her hand in his. He didn't say anything, just kissed her fingers, and held her hand to his chest. Like that, she could feel his heartbeat, and he leaned over a little, resting his head on hers. Yeah, probably, nothing really needed to be said at all.

* * *

**F**rom the corner of her eye, she watched her husband, watching Zuko and Toph scurry off out of the ballroom. They did that a lot now, just sitting and talking somewhere. It was probably a good idea, Ursa had to admit, that they stayed out of Mai's range. There really was no telling the lengths that girl might be willing to go to in order to remove the girl that stood in between her and their son. To be frank, Ursa did not want to find out.

As soon as Ozai's attention went back to her, she turned to face him fully, one hand playing with the stirring stick in her cider. "So," she started, "how do you _really_ feel about this?" He'd at least made attempts to be nice to the girl, and had spoken to her on friendly terms several times by now. But he seemed... strangely uncomfortable in her presence. To be honest, it was a bit unnerving, as nothing really made Ozai uncomfortable.

He seemed to consider her question, before delicately replying, "I'm not entirely sure."

"Well, what do you _think_ you feel, then?"

Ozai sighed. "I just... it never really occurred to me that there are seriously still _slaves_ in _my nation_, Ursy. There are people still in proverbial chains. And I haven't the _slightest_ idea what to do about it."

A sad smile crossed her face. She reached over, brushing his hair aside and patting. "You'll figure it out. You always do." He did, yes. "Come for a walk with me?"

He breathed in, and then out. "Okay." And he turned, and wandered toward the balcony. Ursa followed behind him, keeping step with him. And once out, she gently pulled the door closed. This, perhaps, was not really a conversation the rest of their guests needed to hear.

How to approach this... he'd meandered over to the railing, looking out over the grounds. She stood beside him, resting her wrists on the rail, studying him. "What'd you find so far?" Sort of a prompt, to see if he'd ramble at her. Sometimes, he did. Other times, it took a lot more than a gentle little prod.

"Very little," Ozai answered. "The blocks I'd already thought to put in place did very little to mitigate the problem. Not that this was unexpected. I have to wonder what I was thinking that I believed just that would be enough. Even if I outlawed owning a slave now, most would probably attempt to pass them off as servants. There's nothing against employing servants, and I can't attempt to outlaw that as the palace needs them to function."

"We treat ours very well, even," Ursa mentioned. "But I'm sure, not everyone is kind to their servants."

"No. I don't imagine they are." Ozai thought for a moment. "The Earth Kingdom has done absolutely nothing to improve the slavery issue. I'm not even sure they're entirely aware it's still a problem, and as they have the highest population in the world, this is an issue. Fei Xing suggested border control."

"Border control?" Ursa asked.

"Yes. Every port in the Fire Nation regulated. All immigrants needing to register as a citizen of the Fire Nation before being allowed entrance, or perhaps a visitation registry, to allow non-natives to visit the Fire Nation for a period of time. In this way, we could bottleneck the number of slaves being brought to the Fire Nation, it sounds tyrannical but it may just work."

Ursa considered it for a bit. "There are ways around the ports."

"Not very many. Much of the Fire Nation has very steep cliffs." That much was true. "If we enacted this, it would give us governmental rights to detain any non-native that is not registered, and act on their behalf should they be found to be in the Fire Nation of someone else's will, and return them to their homeland, or properly enter them into the Fire Nation. I have no interest in requiring difficult standards for citizenship be met, merely in preventing people from being dragged into my nation by someone else's will. With any luck, this sort of thing might well do the trick."

Hmm. "We won't really know that until we do it. You should still consider making the owning of slaves illegal. I, at least, would like to see slave owners subject to some sort of a consequence."

Mm. Ozai gently wrapped his arms around Ursa. "How do you do this, flower?"

"Do what?" she asked.

"Make my head work again. I've been bantering this about all day."

A soft giggle escaped her. "I'm not entirely sure. But you know, after a while, you tend to go in mental circles."

"I do," he grumbled. "It's such a pain in the ass."

Ah, setting her cider glass down on the railing, gently running her fingers through his hair. "I can see how it might be. This is why I distract you. Stir-craziness, hm? I keep telling you..."

"Ha. How about Ember Island soon?"

"When the weather turns warm again?"

"Of course."

"And we'll see the play?"

"I'd expect nothing else."

"And you'll **not** fall asleep?"

"Mm, I can't promise that one, flower. You know it bores me, but it makes you happy."

Ursa snorted, lightly batting his nose. "You wouldn't be so bored if you paid attention."

He tilted his head a bit. "I vaguely recall paying attention once."

"No, you always fall asleep."

"Alright, I'll try, long as I get cuddles after it."

"If you stay awake. Through the entire thing."

"Hmm, deal." Ahh... he'd sorely regret that one later. Oh yes... but the attempt would be a dashingly valiant one and he'd certainly try. There were never any promises when it came to that silly play she adored so much, but, he had of course vowed, even if only in his heart, to make his flower as happy as he could. And he did intend to stick to it.

* * *

"**W**hat, no threats of kicking this time?" His tone was joking, a bit, but she frowned a little and whacked him in the arm.

"Haha Sparky," Toph drawled. "I figured by now I don't need to threaten it. I can if it makes you feel better."

"Nah," Zuko chuckled. "I kind of like not getting threatened before a dance."

"Aw, we can't let you get used to that."

"I most certainly will not." Not with her around. And after he'd watched her a few times pounding the ever loving daylights out of the courtyard, definitely not forgetting that under the quiet, often eerily demure demeanor was a freaking juggernaught that wouldn't hesitate to do more than just kick him if he provoked her ire.

Not that he had. And he didn't intend to attempt the venture, either. No, he rather liked getting along with her. They'd had minor arguments, of course, any couple did, but they worked through it eventually. Even if they were flaming mad at each other, they did still care about one another. Zuko didn't think that would change.

Unless he did something utterly, horribly, completely stupid.

She settled into place with him, and matched his pace, as if they did this all the time. They decided, between the two of them, to reserve dancing for festivals. It was something special to celebrate the passing of the seasons with, something just for them. Mai had finally noticed, but, she apparently had decided not to provoke both Suyis and Azula, whom were dancing too, and watching her carefully. It was probably a good idea not to: Azula was dangerous enough. Teamed with a nearly equally dangerous military legend would probably result in nothing good for Mai.

Toph giggled. "Your sister..."

Zuko's gaze went to her for a moment. And he had to snicker, too, as she and Suyis were being quite silly over there, dancing circles around each other and poking at one another at the same time. Yeah, he could get used to that. His sister was happy when she was with him, and that was something Zuko could definitely get behind.

"Think we'll be like that in ten years?" Toph asked, bringing his attention back.

"Maybe," he allowed. "If you ever loosen up all the way again around me."

Toph frowned a little. "Sorry. It's -"

"Automatic habit, yeah," he finished for her. "Suyis and Azula explained it, kind of." Kind of, but not really. Enough he understood the gist of what they were saying. "But it's going away, a little at a time. You don't have to hide from me, Toph."

"I know. Logically, I know. My heart knows. My head is another story."

"Well, your head is beautiful and intelligent, so it needs to stay but it can stand to shush in that regard."

An amused sound. "You're adorable."

"Says the one in red and fur. Fuuur, Toph, fuuuur, you're the most adorable little -"

"I don't **do** adorable, Sparks. Sorry."

"Sparks? That's kind of new."

"I also decided I like Fireball."

"Fireball?"

"You have a bit of a temper. Fireball. It makes sense to me."

"My temper," Zuko started, attempting to sound offended, though it didn't work well, "is really not that bad."

"Not really." She smirked slightly. "Kind of cute, not that you were asking."

"Cute? What exactly about a temper is cute?"

"You can tolerate rather aggravating things, and yet explode at the smallest ones."

He considered that for a moment. "Yeah... I suppose that might be a bit odd, at the very least."

"I think it's cute. And it's probably a good thing I don't find it aggravating."

He gave a short laugh. "Yeah, probably." It wouldn't be too awesome if he annoyed her in any substantial capacity. They could get over the little things easily enough though. The little things, well, for all that they were normal, they weren't really that big of a deal. Sort of what made them little things, yes?

"You know, if you're serious, I'll be Fire Lady someday," Toph mentioned. She toned it off-handed, but, he knew better by now.

"Ah, yes," he answered. "And you'll be good one."

"I will suck at it," she deadpanned. "Honestly, slaves don't make good Fire Ladies."

"I think, if there's anyone that would make a good Fire Lady, it'd be a slave. Someone that knows the pain the war left behind better than I ever could."

"You could if you tried. Maybe, sometime, you could go wander around your nation. See it yourself."

He considered that for a moment. "You're strangely hands on, you know that?"

"Well, you can't figure out of the sunlight is warm or not if you never let it shine on you. Or something."

A quiet snort came from him. "Interesting way of seeing things."

"You tend to get a bit creative when you can't actually see." Something like that, yes.

"I can see why you might. Me, well... I think I get a bit distracted by actually seeing."

The sound she made almost sounded amused. "Yeah. I think a lot of people do. It's a human condition." Rather yucky one, but that was neither here nor there yes? Something like that. "Do you know why I like dancing with you?"

"Hm?" Random question, he thought, but the answer might be interesting all the same.

"You slow down. Your heartbeat evens out, your breathing goes lazy. It's kind of calming."

"My being completely not mentally here is calming?"

She laughed a bit. "Sort of. You're here, you're just... calm yourself. Nothing else really seems to matter."

"Well, it doesn't," he shrugged. "It's just you and me and a very nice stone floor."

Heh. A smile crossed her features. "I like that idea. It is a very nice stone floor."

Ha. "It was one of the first things mom redid after my grandfather died."

"I believe it." The ballroom, after all, was a very public place.

"I can get used to this."

"You know," Toph started, "as weird as it is, I think I can too." Still a bit strange, it was, being happy for once. Toph was used to not being anything near it. But she'd decided, somewhere in there, it was a good feeling, one she didn't want to let go of.

* * *

"**I**ROH!" That would be a very happy Ozai, sprinting across the ballroom to go attach to his brother. Ursa looked a bit put-upon, but, well, it wasn't as though Iroh came to the palace very often. He tended to remain in his tea-shop.

"I was dancing with that," Ursa tartly informed Iroh.

He, of course, chuckled. "Do forgive my intrusion, lovely, good to see you," and he reached around Ozai and hugged Ursa. She smiled warmly, and hugged him back. "It's not every day one is graced with my rather confusing presence." Iroh turned to Ozai, arching a brow. "Your stress line is particularly clear today, brother."

Ozai frowned. "It is not."

"It is too. I could mold a glass stirring stick in it." Iroh arched an eyebrow. "Come on, what's going on?"

Ursa nudged Ozai in the side. He glanced at her, and then sighed, deflating slightly. "We'll have to go that way," Ozai said, leading the way through the crowd to stand beside Zuko and Toph. Both stopped. Zuko smiled.

"Hey, uncle," he greeted, hugging Iroh, too.

Uncle. Right, this was his uncle... General Iroh? Probably, Toph thought.

"Good to see you less depressed, nephew," Iroh replied. "And who's this lovely young lady?"

"Ah, this is Toph," Zuko answered.

"Oh?" Both of Iroh's eyebrows arched upward. "The young vixen you were so smitten with?"

"Yeah." A sheepish head duck.

"Well, at least you've found her, hm?"

"Mai doesn't like it," Zuko deadpanned.

"Hmm, Mai... the easily bored one that ruined my floor with her throwing knives?"

"That's the one."

"Sad for her, then. Is she causing problems?"

"Some," Ursa mentioned. "But she's been intelligent enough to keep her distance." Her gaze flicked to the girl in question. Mai's hand, presently around a glass of cider, seemed near about to break the glass.

Iroh followed her gaze, and then shook his head, looking back to Zuko. "The supreme excellence in war, Zuko, is subduing the enemy without fighting."

"Pretend inferiority," Toph added, "that the enemy might grow arrogant."

"Oho! Someone knows her books. If you are far from the enemy, make him think you're near."

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized," Toph answered. "But I can't read. My father taught me these. He spoke often of them. All war is deception."

"Indeed," Iroh chuckled. Zuko kept looking between them, near cross-eyed in confusion. Ozai had a similar expression, but Ursa seemed to get it. "Well dear nephew," Iroh continued, patting Zuko's cheek, "you keep this one. I like her."

"I'll... certainly try, uncle," Zuko answered, a bit unsure of his words.

"Is this why your stress line seems to be ready to become a skin canyon?" Iroh asked, turning to Ozai.

"She's not nobility, Iroh," he answered, sounding somewhat tense. "And I only have a vague idea of what I'm going to do."

"About them marrying? You tell the council to shove it where Sozin's Comet doesn't shine, and if they don't like it, they know where the door is," Iroh stated.

"What if they challenge me?"

"Oh jeez. Are you, or are you not, the Fire Lord, hm?"

Ozai just huffed.

"Mhm," Iroh hummed. "You act like you're new to this. You've beaten their tails before, you can do it again." A shrug.

"Well I'm glad someone has faith in me."

Iroh gave him a hard look. "I get the feeling we ought to talk. Come along brother, I have a sudden craving for cider."

"No tea?" Ozai jokingly asked.

"I think I'll not impose this time," Iroh answered.

Ursa huffed. "I... suppose I'll... find something to do," she mumbled.

"You can stay if you want mom," Zuko insisted. Toph nodded her agreement.

Ursa answered with a smile. "You two are sweet," she said, kissing the both on the temple. "But I'm sure I can busy myself with something while those two talk."

"He shouldn't abandon a pretty lady," Zuko grumbled.

"Your father has a lot on his mind," Ursa gently reminded. "He's still not sure how to best attack the slave trade, and outright making slavery illegal could end in a revolt. There are a lot more in the Fire Nation that own them than we first thought." She paused, thinking. "Until Toph is fully freed, you two will be the scandal of the era."

Unconsciously, Zuko's hand tightened around Toph's. "I'm not giving up," he said, almost defensive.

"I know," Ursa replied. "And neither is your father. But we can't afford a revolt so soon after the war. We're already nearly burnt out helping the Southern Water Tribe rebuild and expand. It's a delicate thing, Zuko. You'll understand someday." Ursa gave him a final pat on the cheek, before wandering back through the ballroom, probably to chat up some noblewoman or another. Most of them liked the Fire Lady, as she was calm and very polite. Scarily polite.

"M'sorry I caused so much trouble, Zuko," Toph said.

He shook his head. "No, it wasn't you. It's that damned war my great grandfather started." His gaze flicked to the side, watching the Avatar, present again, entertain the guests with Airbending tricks. "All over a silly kid," he said, gesturing at him.

"The Avatar," Toph corrected. "Who is relatively threatening, you know."

"Relatively." He agreed. Yeah, he was that. "It's just kind of hard to see how anyone could be so terrified of him like Sozin was, when you see him like that."

"Be wary not of the panther sleeping in the trees, but of the snake slithering through the grass," Toph said.

"Another one of those quotes?"

Aha. "No," she said, shaking her head. "That one I made up."

Hmm. "I kind of like that one."

"There's another. Those who watch their backs meet death from the front. You'll have to read those books we were quoting someday." Those were lost on him, he apparently hadn't read them.

"Suppose I will."

"Promise? I haven't read them in over a decade, I'd like to hear them again."

Ah... she was giving him an excuse. "Whatever my Toph wants."

"Pff, you're a bit backwards. You're my Zuko, not the other way around."

"I think I can live with that." Strangely, he honestly probably could.

* * *

"**N**ope, close your eyes," Ozai said. Ursa gave him a very confused look.

"I'm supposed to open it, silly," which, she had a point, she was. And she reached for it, but he stepped back and raised the little box above his head. She jumped for it a few times, but he was a good bit taller than her. "You're completely cheating at the moment," she hissed at him.

"Yes," he mused, "I am. I enjoy cheating. Now, turn around and close your eyes, or this box is never getting opened."

"You... fine." She turned around, crossing her arms and closing her eyes like he said.

"Heh, you're pouting," Ozai snickered, getting the little thing out of the box.

"I am not." Okay, she was, but she wouldn't admit that. It meant he won, sort of. He didn't say anything, just chuckled quietly, moving her hair out of the way to get a necklace around her neck.

"Okay," he said, "now you can look."

One eye peeked open, and she looked down. Diamond, of course. A marquis cut diamond pendant, set in gold. The metal made a little V shape around and under it, mimicking a flower petal's shape. And she forgot, rather immediately, that she was irritated with him.

"All flowers need petals, right?" He asked, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Mmm, sometimes, I wonder how the heck I find you so charming. And then you remind me when I least expect it."

An airy laugh escaped him. "I have to keep you on your toes."

"Oh? Who said that? Tell me so I can yell at them. They've doomed me to an eternal headache."

"Hmmm, hard to imagine an Ursy that yells."

"Suppose you're right." Ursa didn't yell, of course. Never that. A loud squeal of happiness sounded from across the room. Ah, Azula, apparently. Suyis seemed to have given her a ring, because she kept holding her hand out and admiring something, before squealing again and tackling him.

"I still have no idea how to take that one, either," Ozai intoned.

"They're happy, Ozai."

"Yes. And the Fire Lord in me is pleased my daughter is finally interested in a relatively suitable male. The father in me, however, is gravely concerned."

Ursa smiled, kissing his cheek. "And that's probably the way it should be, with a creature like him." She paused, thinking. "Though, if I may, he seems much more stable than the stories paint him to be."

Ozai grunted. "Stories, pff. Probably, half of the 'out of control Firebending' he did during the war was partly to trick his commander into thinking he was following orders when he wasn't."

Ursa tilted her head. "How would uncontrolled Firebending accomplish that?"

"Mm, think of it this way. If you snap and go crazy, no one will think twice about you hindering your comrades the same as you hinder your enemy. In a way, I think part of his psychosis was feigned: he pretended to be mentally and emotionally unstable merely to ensure that he could double-cross my father without dealing with the consequences. He's lucky he's a very powerful, and skilled, Firebender, else my father would have done away with him a long time ago, merely due to the sheer number of injuries and accidents reported as caused by him. There's no real telling how many of those were actually his fault. When he left the Fire Nation military toward the end, the entire army felt it better that they let him go than pursued him for desertion."

Hm. Ursa considered the idea, for a bit. "I suppose, it might be a good tactic. A dangerous one, certainly it'd require a bit of planning and strategy to manage to cause so much damage to your own unit without being executed or banished."

"The first part was gaining my father's, and the military's, respect. If he proved himself more an asset than a liability, they'd keep him alright."

"He's very intelligent."

"Scarily. And that's part of why I don't trust him." Probably, it always would be. Ozai didn't see that changing very soon. Hm. He nodded at something out on the ballroom floor. "Look."

Ursa turned, just in time to see Zuko sheepishly handing Toph a box. He'd already gotten his present, apparently. Across the way, Mai seemed irritated. Suyis and Azula wouldn't wander too far from Zuko and Toph, cutting her off at the knees, in a way.

And Toph pulled the box open, carefully, listening to the necklace rattle around in it. She soon reached her hand in, and extracted a very pretty heart-shaped necklace, gold in color, with a single ruby teardrop dangling on the inside. She, too, smiled, and made a very happy squeal noise, though a bit subdued in comparison to Azula's, and hugged him. He detached her, positively glowing, and helped her get it on.

"I think the Fire Nation will be just fine in their hands," Ursa said.

And, perhaps not surprisingly, Ozai nodded. "I think it will be, too," he agreed. "Though I still dread fighting with the council over their union."

"It'll be alright," she said. "I'm sure your brother will back your decision and stand by you."

"Mm, the Fire Nation, for the longest time, has not been about whether your decision is the right one, but rather you can beat the crap out of the opposition."

Ursa snorted. "Barbaric, if I may."

"I agree. But they're so used to the way things were under my father's rule, I doubt they'll change anytime soon." Perhaps some weeding out of the council members was in order.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out anyway," Ursa insisted, laying her head on his shoulder. "You always do. And I'll help any way I can, you know that."

"Mm, yes. You, dear, are one resource I have no idea where I'd be without. And one good thing my father taught me hm? How to use my resources."

An amused sound, from Ursa. "Yes, it is a useful thing to know."

"Bah, we're supposed to be celebrating!" And with that, the next happy squeal was from Ursa, who Ozai had picked up and decided to twirl around.

* * *

"**S**o what'd he get you?" Ty Lee was practically bouncing up and down on Toph's bed. Azula decided maybe the chair was a better idea, and stood to go sit over there.

Toph shook her head, getting herself out of her dress so she could go to bed already. It was late, probably insanely early in the morning by now, and naturally, Ty Lee was wide awake and Azula was no better. Not to imply Toph was. Actually, she wasn't sure if she'd get to sleep for another few hours, at the very least. Once she'd gotten loose of the death trap of red and fur, she got her necklace off, and handed it to Ty Lee.

Rather immediately, Ty squealed in happiness. "It's gorgeous! Look Azula!" She held it out for Azula to see, who leaned over in the chair to get a better look at it.

"Looks like Fire Nation colony handiwork. They're good with metallurgy, because of the combination of fire and earth. No surprise they make beautiful jewelry and very good weapons and armor."

"Think maybe Sokka might get me something so pretty someday?"

Azula snorted. "Already thinking ahead of yourself. You've not known him very long, you know."

"No," Ty started, "but I can tell. We'll make a good couple. And really cute babies."

"Ugh, babies," Azula spat. "They're grating."

"Babies are not grating, Azula," Ty Lee frowned.

"You sound like my mother." No, she really did.

Toph just huffed, taking her necklace back. "Whatever makes you happy, Ty," she said, gracelessly collapsing onto her bed. "I still have a hard time comprehending the whole the Fire Nation Prince loves me."

"See," Ty Lee mused, "I told you it'd work out, didn't I?"

"You're just insufferable," Toph retorted.

"Oo, hey," Ty Lee turned to Azula, ignoring the jab, "did Suyis get you anything?"

Azula shrugged, smirking slightly, and then held her hand out. On one of her fingers was a diamond-cut ruby ring, the band in gold, stone flanked with small diamonds on either side.

"Oh my goodness, that's gorgeous too!" Ty Lee instantly squealed. Azula snickered a bit, and then moved over to Toph, so she could run her finger over it and 'see' it.

"Wow, neat design," Toph added. "I kind of hate being blind sometimes." Hard to get across what exactly things looked like, but from just feeling it, she got the general idea. She had a feeling some of the 'gorgeous' that the ring supposedly was had something to do with being able to see it.

"It's comfortable, too. Fits perfectly," Azula said, admiring it herself. "He's apparently very good at figuring out ring sizes and buying jewelry for girls."

"Well," Ty Lee started, "have you _seen him_, he's beautiful. I bet he's had girls fawning over him since puberty."

Azula snorted. "I try not to consider the possibility."

Ty Lee and Toph both smiled knowingly. Yeah, Azula was relatively easy to make jealous, too.

"So," Azula started, apparently intending to change the subject, "has Zuzu proposed yet?"

Toph shook her head. "No. It's okay though, I think he should probably wait until your dad figures out what to do about my technically being a half-person first."

Azula snorted again. "Dad would fight the council on it if he really had to. Honestly, if he presented the match properly, the common people would be thrilled and overjoyed. Plus, he could also make special mention about the old colonies, how the Earth Kingdom citizens married Fire Nation ones and so forth."

"But I'm a slave, Azula," Toph deadpanned. "Why do I have to keep reminding people that I'm really no one special?"

"But," Azula said, "You could be, if father made you out to be. Never mind that you're of age in the Earth Kingdom right? You could reclaim your family estate and be a noblewoman of the Earth Kingdom and there goes that."

"Was that what the plan was?" Ty Lee asked.

Azula shrugged. "Mother mentioned it, and Zuko thought it'd be an idea to follow, if we really get desperate. The Fire Nation could easily help her reclaim her place as a Beifong in the Earth Kingdom, and then we could easily tell the nations and the council that such a match is intended as a gesture of good-will and peace. They don't necessarily need to know that they've fallen in love with each other for their own reasons in aaah... very unusual circumstance."

"That's none of anyone's business anyway," Ty Lee snorted.

"Exactly," Azula agreed. "I wouldn't concern yourself too much, Toph. Father might grumble about it and shuffle his feet, but, if he has to, he will defend his son's choice."

Mm. Toph curled her feet up underneath her. "I still think this is kind of troublesome, considering I'm, again, no one special."

"But you kind of are, in a way," Azula mentioned. "You're the first girl Zuzu's ever spent extended periods of time around that hasn't managed to make him cringe, or declare that girls are crazy. I think that makes you quite special indeed."

Toph just shook her head. "You two are strange. Now get out of my room so I can sleep, no one wants to see me in the morning on under eight hours of sleep," she declared, making a shooing motion at the both.

Ty Lee giggled, but she stood up and pranced for the door. "Night Toph!"

"Good night."

"I'll be up with mom in the morning too," Azula said. "Mother wants to take you and I dress shopping."

"Oh goody," Toph replied. Thrilled, couldn't you tell?

* * *

**T**he stretch of hallway between them and Zuko's room was sufficiently long enough to have a little discussion first. Ozai thought it was probably pretty prudent to include Zuko and Toph in most of the arrangements: Toph, being a slave herself, would probably have knowledge of the slave trade's workings that most wouldn't, whereas Zuko... well, he had his own reasons for wanting to know what was going on. Ozai thought it might be a good learning experience for him, as well, considering he'd be leading the Fire Nation someday. Hopefully in the relatively far future: he still had a bit of calming down and maturing to do.

"So, you're not making much progress?" Zuko asked.

Ozai shook his head. "Not really. The entire ordeal is tricky, and I'd like to prevent a rebellion if I can help it."

"Why would you have to deal with rebellion?"

"Well, to start, there are many more in the Fire Nation than I expected that have slaves."

Zuko nodded. "Mother mentioned that. If you made it illegal, they might react badly."

"Very badly. Secondly, the only nation's borders within which slave trade is legal and unregulated is the Earth Kingdom. By proxy of feeling it necessary to bottleneck and eventually destroy the slave trade, we'd have to target the nation it flourishes the most in. The Earth Kingdom is proud and stubborn, and may not take the interference very well, regardless of our intentions and whether the situation really is that bad or not."

Zuko considered what his father said, keeping pace with him. "So, we have to find a way of doing this without upsetting either the Fire Nation's noble caste, or the Earth Kingdom's people."

"Right," Ozai nodded. "If the Earth Kingdom reacted terribly to the meddling, and considering what I have heard of their present Earth King, he may very well merely out of an inferiority complex of some kind, well... we cannot afford the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom going head to head right now. Furthermore, inciting a rebellion on our end would effectively pit the Fire Nation against itself, and an outside force, at the same time."

Zuko groaned. "That sounds..."

"Terribly messy. Our best bet may be to let it alone and do what we can to restrict it within our own borders until the trouble in Ba Sing Se has settled."

If Zuko's memory served, his father was probably referring to the minor revolt over the state of the Lower Ring. No one had been particularly happy in the Lower Ring beforehand, and it merely got even worse as the Earth King's attention was brought to matters outside the capital. Though he'd been taught to lead since a young age, he had very little hands-on experience, and had never been in, nor even seen, a battle up close before. The entire thing was a mess on their side of the spectrum, and corruption had run terribly thick within the capital, potentially for several decades.

"At the rate things are going," Ozai continued, "the Earth Kingdom may have a new King within the next few years."

"You think so?"

"Certainly. The Earth Kingdom has suffered in ways the present Earth King could never really understand. He's hardly been outside the palace, in all his years, and has no idea the hardships and trials his people face on a day to day basis. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say his own people might well overthrow his regime and install a new Earth King, someone of more common blood that knows the horrors the war has wrought upon their kingdom and the many other things the Kingdom's people face. Should such a thing happen, any negotiating and compromising with the current Earth King would go right out the proverbial window the moment the new King is set upon the throne."

"Ah," Zuko nodded, understanding. "It'd be easier then, if we just let them sort their own problems out before we went to attempting to tear at their slavery issues."

"Yes. It seems they have quite a few bigger fish to fry still swimming about in their pond."

Zuko laughed a little. "Interesting allusion."

"Ah, I suppose it was the tiniest bit clever." They paused, as they reached Zuko's room. "Well then," Ozai continued, "as Fire Lord I have the power to free just this one slave without causing a mass revolt. It'll take some rhetorical care, and perhaps some record planting, by the way, record planting is very tricksy an art, try not to do it if you can avoid it, but always go through the Fire Sages to do it, not your officials," Ozai advised. "I'll see what I can do, but this may take some time, Zuko."

The Prince nodded. "I understand. I also understand you've got little trouble putting on the angry turtle-duck pants and enforcing your will through less patient means," he added, smirking lightly.

"Oh jeez," Ozai grumbled. "Don't lead that way, it gets messy. But after my father I - well anyway, off to bed with you. Oh, and your mother and sister are stealing your girlfriend in the morning, they won't be back until afternoon."

Zuko arched an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Dress shopping," Ozai answered, a very clear disgruntled note in his tone. "I'm going to go broke in a few hours flat. Word to the wise, never give a woman a large sum of money and walk away from her." He cursed under his breath and stalked down the hall.

Zuko, apparently, found that advice particularly funny, and found himself laughing under his breath. "Good night dad," he called, still laughing, and going into his room.

"Good night, Zuko. ... and stop laughing at me. You'll understand that one someday too, Dragon Spirits willing, before your nation goes bankrupt."

Well, yes. He was sure he would.

* * *

**Notes:** Well, that took forever, sorry. I'd intended to have it done and released yesterday, but, unfortunately, my father's cousin (thus my cousin once removed) passed away, and we had to go to the Wake, annnd I spent a good chunk of yesterday morning dealing with school enrollment. I should have gotten that done last month.

The more Ursa and Ozai interact in this, the more my heart melts. I… just… on the one hand, comprehending this is a very awkward and difficult venture. On the other, I just can't… contain the squeeing! On a similar but different note, every time I check my grammar in Microsoft Word, my faith in Microsoft falls down several notches. It always marks things that are right as wrong.

If you guyssss are curious, or interested in any way, Xia is summer, Qiu is fall, Dong is winter, Chun is spring, in Mandarin Chinese. Remember that in Mandarin Chinese, X is pronounced as 'sh', Q is pronounced as 'ch'. Zh, often, is a strange 'j' sort of sound, my Chinese friend and I refer to it as the Chinese z. Lol It's kind of complicated to get across in writing, but it's sort of a combination of a j and a z. Ah, mandarintools dot com has a Chinese/English dictionary, and you can look up the word 'zhi' and hear it, if you're interested. I.E. Xing, meaning star, is said as shing, and Qiu, fall, is said as chieu. Zhi means extreme, so Xiazhi literally translate's to "summer's extreme," or more proverbially, summer solstice. Li means start, so Liqiu is "start of autumn/fall." Fen translates as equinox, so Qiufen is literally autumn equinox.

These are the actual terms used for these holidays, or as close as I could get to the right date, in East Asia. For instance, Lichun, start of spring, takes place on February 4-5, whereas the aligning holiday, Imbolc, is on February 1. So it's slightly off on some of them, but close enough. I believe even their solstices and equinoxes are slightly off in some cases. All throughout the Chinese year, there are: Lichun, Yushui, Jingzhe, Chunfen, Qingming, Guyu, Lixia, Xiaoman, Mangzhong, Xiazhi, Xiaoshu, Dashu, Liqiu, Chushu, Bailu, Qiufen, Hanlu, Shuangjiang, Lidong, Xiaoxue, Daxue, Dongzhi, Xiaohan, and Dahan. So I did end up skipping a good majority of them for the fic. I'm not actually entirely working off the Chinese solar calendar to begin with, but rather the Celtic solar festivals, or the Pagan Wheel of the Year. I thought that might be a bit interesting to explain. I actually "translated" these several years ago, in 2010, and found the list sometime before beginning the current Monochrome, and had long forgotten where I'd gotten the names, I thought I'd amateurly translated them, but apparently they are actual East Asian solar terms. If you're curious, the Chinese New Year takes place around Lichun, which will be next chapter.

In other news, I adjusted the outlines for this so hopefully it won't be as much of a pain in the butt to write. I think you'll all enjoy the end of it. We're getting close, only three more chapters to go.

This one was Dongzhi, the winter solstice. On the Wheel of the Year, it's known as Yule, and probably the most well-known aspect of Yule is the Yule log. Any family that chooses to may place their Yule log in the group fire. The Yule log is selected and the family member places upon it a wish for the New Year and the next planting season. The log is burned to carry the prayers to the spirits or ancestors. Ancestor worship is a huge thing in China, I think it... even still is.

Gifts and well-wishes are exchanged, and not long after it is Christmas, for those that celebrate it. It takes place on December 20, 21 or 22.

You're probably wondering: Sun Tzu's _The Art of War_. The quotes Toph and Iroh were swapping. If Suyis was present for the quote swapping, he probably could have recited the entire thing by heart. That's his personal holy book. Lol It was written around the second century B.C., and remained a very renowned and respected military treatise in East Asia for centuries. It was well known enough, even the common people recognized it by name. It was first translated, into French, in 1772.

Ah, right, Samhain is actually said as "sow-ehn," not sam-hayn. Hahahaha. Forgot to mention that at the end of Lidong. Well I had other things on my mind.


	7. Lichun

**L****ICHUN**

"**A**ctually," Suyis started, thumbing through records the three of them had gotten from the Fire Sages, "it looks like slavery has been an issue for a heck of a long time." Naturally, they were still rifling through records, attempting to figure out where exactly to hit it.

"Yeah, that's what I'm getting," Azula added. "How about you?" she asked, nudging Zuko's leg with her boot.

"Same. Just, there's no idea where it started. What the hell does it thrive on?"

"Mostly," Suyis began, "on the particular way of life we live. So long as there are estates that need cleaning and fields that need tending, the demand for labor will remain high. They could get the same result through hired help, but who wants to pay a servant or a hired hand when they can just make a slave do it for free?"

"Ugh," Zuko grumbled. "This is just a mess."

"Wait until we get into arranged marriage. That one's not as bad, but nearly." A snort.

"Arranged marriage? Really?" Zuko groaned and let his head fall onto the desk. "The world is just an open wound oozing with problems."

Suyis snorted. "That about sums it up, yeah." He paused a moment, thinking, before shifting over to lean over Zuko, bracing against the desk. Azula recognized 'something good' pose, and leaned over to rest her head on Zuko's. Very quiet, Suyis said, "I have a few friends I can talk to. Just don't tell anyone I'm talking to anybody, you don't know where I am. They can find us some answers, but they deal in very nasty things."

"What kinds of nasty things?" Azula breathed.

"Nasty things I'd better not tell you about, because they're mostly illegal or should be. One of which is slavery."

"You have friends that are slavers?" Zuko asked.

"Most of them are not now, but a few still are. If I can find one of them, at least, I can probably trace Toph through the system all the way back to Gaoling, and with any luck, figure out how exactly they operate and where to hit them at. If nothing else, she's got records. The slavers keep their own records, they know who passes through who and when and how much they were."

"How could you seriously associate with -"

Suyis cut Zuko off. "Shh. Not all of them are bad. I might recommend attempting to make nice with some of them and gain their loyalty. Through slavers themselves you can probably put a serious dent in the slave trade, if you have a handful of them that don't sell their slaves but set them free instead. Many of them don't _care_ where they go, as long as they get paid. You can probably free a load of them merely by buying them from the slaver before they're even handed off to a master."

"Interesting idea," Azula allowed. "Will those records be any use?"

"The problem isn't really the slavers. It's the need for them in the first place. If I can get records off a few of them, you can trace even more of them and figure out who exactly buys into it and where these slaves have gone, so there's no guesswork in which nobles in the Fire Nation own slaves. Once you weed out any desire for the trade, it'll die off on its own. You can't cut a tree down if you hack at its branches."

Hmm. "You're so genius, it's just adorable," Azula finally declared, leaning over to kiss him.

Zuko made a grossed out noise. "Come on, not over me with the touching and the kissing and the ugh."

Azula, of course, grinned and stuck her tongue in Suyis' mouth, causing him to squeak.

"OH COME ON! AZULA!"

The two broke apart, laughing. "Oh please," Azula started between giggles, "like you're not all that bad with the Toph and the kissing at dinner. Dad gives you the most scandalous of looks."

"For the record," Suyis added, "you occasionally look less like you're kissing and more that you're attempting to eat each other."

"We do not!"

"Ever seen it?" Azula retorted.

"You -!" Zuko grabbed a pillow and whacked her over the head with it. She fell over, giggling uncontrollably, and Zuko pounced, smacking her with it several times.

"AAAAHH! HELP! SUYIS, THE HLS AZULA IS SINKING! S.O.S.!"

"Ahh, no," Suyis commented. "Ahh..." And he scooted toward the door several paces. "Sorry HLS Azula, the FNS Suyis is several knots away..."

"But we're under fire! I repeat, we're under fire, the HLS Zuko is firing! AHH!"

"Uhh yeah don't drag us into that, FNS Suyis out."

"YOU TRAITOR!" Still giggling, Azula caught Zuko's wrist, smacking him with his own pillow.

"Hey! Cheating!"

"It is not!" And she yanked it out of his hand and squirmed out of his grasp, tackling Suyis.

"EEEK!" Down they went, and Suyis curled into a ball, letting her whack at him. Mostly out of disinterest in seriously hurting her by accident.

"Uh oh," Zuko snickered. "Looks like the FNS Suyis is sinking now."

"WE SINK WITH HONOR! AAAAHHH!"

Zuko shook his head, deciding to let the HLS Azula have at the FNS Suyis. Watching them roll around on the floor was amusing, if nothing else, because, having sparred with Suyis before, he knew the ex-soldier was going really, really easy on her. But it was heartening. He'd apparently meant it, when he'd said, in a roundabout way, that he had no intention of hurting her on purpose, and wouldn't on accident if he could help it.

... still. This is why it was amazing some people _still_ wondered why they were such strange people.

* * *

**T**hey faced one another, silent, neither moving. Iroh and Ursa stood back a good distance, watching. He was about her age, or at least not much older, Toph could tell: Asante was a very good Earthbender for one so young, and his master had been his father. Rather than discouraging her from putting her own twist on the art, he encouraged remembering what the badgermoles had taught her so long ago.

Neither said anything. Finally, Asante moved first, releasing a streak of earth at her - effortlessly, Toph redirected it, sending it back at him, twisting her foot and following it with a spike. A backflip saved Asante from the streak, and a yank upward split the spike in half. They were very closely matched by this point, though Asante had decided he would continue to teach Toph until she managed to defeat him. Ursa had thought, after all, that he'd be a good teacher, even though he himself thought differently. Iroh had a peaceful smile on his face, much like the one on Ursa's, as they both watched the two Earthbenders bend circles around one another. They seemed... rather at peace. It was almost like watching Suyis and Zuko train together. Only... these two had more of a determination than a ferocity.

It was probably fitting, given they were Earthbenders and not Firebenders.

At one point, Ursa had to dart behind Iroh, as an earth disc nearly clipped her shoulder. Just as it seemed they would never reach a conclusion, Toph finally managed to knock Asante over. Ursa and Iroh blinked.

"... wow," Asante breathed, and then fell over. "I don't think there's anything more I can teach you. Congratulations, Master Toph."

"Wait, I mastered...?"

"If you can beat me, a master, you're a master."

"Oh... wow. OH WOW! DID YOU HEAR THAT? I'M A MASTER! EEE!" Toph bounced around in utter joy, which at least made the others present laugh.

"And hey, maybe you can teach me next," Asante mentioned. "Your style is certainly unique."

"Heh, it's a mimicry of the way badgermoles move." She turned slightly, toward Ursa and Iroh. "So, how does Firebending work?"

Iroh blinked, glancing at Ursa. She arched an eyebrow, before answering, "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, the way I've got it figured, I'm an Earthbender taught by badgermoles that's been in the Fire Nation for years now, and I'm probably going to be Fire Lady someday. It'd make sense if my style had Firebending influence, right?"

Hm. Certainly an interesting theory. Ursa meandered over. "Well," she started, "Firebenders are a bit strange in comparison to the other elements, in that we use our inner body heat to generate flames. Fire is the element of power, so most of its technique focuses on powerful first strikes and overwhelming the opponent as quickly as possible. Our attacks are very fierce and strong. Unlike the other bending arts, we have very few defensive techniques."

"Could you show me?" Toph asked. "Spar with him?" she added, pointing at Asante.

Asante shrugged. Ursa tilted her head in assent. "Sure." She didn't bother asking how the girl intended to _see_ anything, because fire wasn't something she could sense, but, she was good enough at that vibration sensing thing she did, she'd note the movements and the sounds. "My style is a bit more graceful than most. It is influenced, in part, by Waterbending."

Toph nodded, focusing on the vibrations in the earth. Just like she said, Ursa started, not even waiting for Asante to defend himself before kicking and punching several streams of flame at him. She was right, her style was a lot more graceful than Toph was used to sensing from Firebenders, though there was little doubt she was just as good as anyone else. Her flames sounded just as strong as Zuko and Azula's were. Swirling kicks, spins and circular hand motions seemed to be a paramount element of the art.

That'd be difficult to integrate into Earthbending, Toph realized. Their styles were almost polar opposites: Earthbending was very dependent on defensive capabilities as much as offensive ones. And her personal style, being as she was blind, depended heavily on keeping both her feet on the ground. On the other hand, so long as just one of her legs, or even a hand, if she had to, remained on the ground, she wouldn't be blinded, even momentarily. Probably, the shift in style would require depending more on her hearing, as well.

Of course, she could probably manage it well enough, given practice. She'd probably need to strengthen her seismic sense, so that she could continue to see clearly through the earth, even with only one part of her touching the ground.

"EEK!" And Asante hit the ground, just as a blast of fire went over his head. "... I think you almost decapitated me."

Ursa snickered. "Sorry about that," she intoned, offering a hand for him to stand up.

"Thanks." Asante took her hand, and stood, brushing himself off. "So, did you get anything out of that?"

"I got a lot of stuff," Toph replied.

"Want to give it a go?"

"Now?"

"Why not?"

Well, she'd come to realize, this Asante was a very crazy guy. Alright then, why not? She shrugged, taking Ursa's place as the older woman returned to Iroh's side to watch, presumably very interested in what the young woman had gotten from their relatively short spar.

Toph took a leaf from Ursa right off the bat, immediately twisting around before Asante could even come at her, kicking a roundhouse through the air - a wave ripped through the earth under them, rather instantly knocking Asante off his feet and throwing him several yards. He landed to find a small boulder hovering mere inches from his face.

"Holy crap!" Asante squealed.

"You got that from five minutes of Firebending?" Ursa asked, sounding awed.

"I've felt it before," Toph shrugged, tossing the boulder back where it'd come from. "I just didn't really pay attention to it then. But the idea of combining the two elements sort of came from observing the Avatar. The four elements aren't really separate, they're connected, so I think combining tactics from more than one of them together into the same art could result in a very powerful technique."

"Interesting conclusion," Iroh commented. "Some of our Firebending techniques take inspiration, like Ursa does, from Waterbending."

"It makes the art a little more versatile, right? I've noticed you don't Firebend in close quarters the same way you Firebend from a distance," Toph added.

"Right," Iroh nodded. "There are also redirection techniques, which also draw from Waterbending. Redirecting heat itself, as well as lightning."

"You can redirect lightning?" Toph asked.

"Sure. It requires focus, but it can be done."

Hm. Maybe she had the right idea, blending the two. After all, she'd just beaten her former master's ass in about five seconds, simply by using Firebending tactic.

* * *

**F**ortunately, Iroh had decided to remain in the Fire Nation capital for a time longer. Ozai, though he'd been on the throne for a while now, and had been raised to lead (granted, not very well), was almost a baby, lost with no idea what to do. This was far more common than most thought, but the good news was, he always very promptly, when given the opportunity, went to Ursa or his brother for advice and a good bout of venting.

"Certainly done something new with the decorations this Lichun," Iroh commented, eyeing the strands of lanterns strung through the trees.

Ozai smiled. "Zuko and Azula did those this year. I'm still not entirely sure how they managed to string them without endangering the trees. I should think, a mass fire this time of year would particularly... tank, as the kids are saying these days."

Iroh let out a hearty chuckle. "Interesting term," he said. "Well they did a fine enough job. And perhaps even if the trees did catch, it wouldn't be too bad. The wildfire burns the forest, but though it does damage, it does far greater good."

"Oh?" Ozai was curious.

"Sure," Iroh nodded. "Though it damages the trees, surely, it does clear out the dead leaves and fallen branches within the underbrush. And the clearing out of useless underbrush allows the forest to grow back many times more beautiful than it was when it burned."

Ozai's gaze narrowed slightly, eyeing his brother. "Are you making an allusion?"

"I don't know, am I?"

Ugh. Iroh was frustrating in that respect. Though, once you had made sense of it, his wisdom was priceless. It was just... making sense of it.

Iroh chuckled again. "Alright, I'll throw you a rope. The Fire Nation is a lot like a great forest."

That wasn't a pout, for the record. Ozai was not pouting. It went almost as fast as it came. "A great forest huh?"

"Indeed."

"An old great forest that has collected a lot of underbrush."

"There you go," Iroh smiled. "Your rule was bound to destroy a lot of the Fire Nation, brother. But a lot of this destruction, while difficult and taxing, is very necessary, so that the Fire Nation may grow back, even more beautiful and strong than it was before."

"Hm." Maybe so. Well, no, likely so. Iroh's observations and conclusions, of course, tended to be spot on most of the time, if not all the time.

"Ah, but, I feel, some of this growing back, it may not happen during our time. The Fire Nation is very old, and very set in its ways by now. It has collected near a hundred years' worth of underbrush. And like a forest that has not seen a wildfire in many decades, the Fire Nation's underbrush will make it burn for many months. And it will take that much longer for it to grow back. I think, some of this growth, it won't happen until Zuko sits on the throne."

"Why can't you ever speak in plain language? It's like you live to make my life difficult," Ozai grumbled.

"Heh, I must admit, it does amuse me greatly to watch you struggle with philosophy. You never were any good at it, you know. Zuko does the same. He is definitely his father's son."

Ozai shook his head. "He has an easier time making sense of your gibberish."

"Oh, not all the time. Actually, he seems to have a hard time enough making sense of his _own_ gibberish."

Ozai couldn't help the laugh. "Yeah, you know, you are probably onto something there." Seriously, Zuko had trouble figuring out what his own mind was thinking, and he tended to have serious problems with his head and his heart fighting with one another. It shouldn't really be all that surprising, and honestly, it wasn't.

"It is good," Iroh said. "That he does have these wars. It means he thinks before he makes a serious decision."

"On the other hand, he doesn't always come to the right conclusion. And sometimes, he can't tell what, exactly, is a serious decision that deserves his serious consideration."

"He's a Firebender, Ozai, what would you honestly expect?"

"Nothing else," Ozai conceded. "Still, he needs a bit more discipline before he takes the throne."

Iroh hummed. "Well, suppose it's a good thing he's fallen for an Earth Kingdom lady."

"Oh?" It'd be interesting to hear his brother's thoughts on the matter. Ozai had his reservations, but, well, he always had his reservations. He had his reservations about anything and everything, and it took time for those reservations to give in.

"The people of the Earth Kingdom are enduring. Stubborn, many would say, but they are strong and stable. They are constants. The Fire Nation's people are constantly moving. Their energies are always shifting. If anyone can tame a Firebender's ever changing energies, it is one whose energy does not often budge. They balance each other, Ozai. She teaches him to stand still, he teaches her to move. Like the ocean and the moon, they circle around one another in an eternal dance."

Ozai considered this, for a bit. Finally, he snorted, smiling slightly. "You do always manage to see things in ways I never would."

"This is why you ask my opinions, yes?"

"Certainly," Ozai allowed. "Perhaps this match may yet be a fruitful one."

Iroh laughed. "Hoho, rather, it already is. Have you seen the two? One speeds up, the other slows down. They match one another, moving steadily, but not too fast, nor too slow. They see the same world a completely different way than the other does. He knows things she doesn't, and likewise, she knows things he doesn't. Her mind is brilliant, brother. She needed only the environment for it to learn within. And learn she has. She's mastered Earthbending by now. Then, she had her master and the lovely Ursa spar. She said she wanted to observe Firebending technique, so that she might blend it into her Earthbending."

Ozai arched an eyebrow. "Did she manage to blend them?"

"Quite successfully, I'd think. She went onto the offensive, taking a chance, and defeated her former master in five seconds."

"Damn." That was quite impressive for a first attempt. Admittedly, there was a chance she'd merely gotten Asante off-guard, but that was sort of the point of Firebending, in a sense, and given enough refinement, her technique would grow stronger, and every little advantage she might have, she'd learn to use.

"I'm telling you now, Ozai," Iroh stated, with an air of finality, "when she's truly claimed your boy, he won't be a boy anymore, and neither will she be a girl. They will be gems, hardened and refined through fire and earth, and the Fire Nation will be the better for it." Yes, that was what Iroh thought. And Ozai had to admit, he was beginning to agree.

* * *

**H**e didn't have to look for her this festival, as Ty Lee had apparently dressed her relatively simply this time. Though the weather wasn't much warmer than it'd been during the winter, her clothing was a lot thinner than it'd been the last festival. And not a dress this time. Actually, Zuko had to admit, she looked gorgeous even not in a dress. Just a nice pale green shirt with a Mandarin collar, a darker green belt and a pair of brown pants. Heh, this would be one of the few times he'd seen her in her own nation's colors rather than the Fire Nation's. Her hair was loose, for the most part, the ends held in a very loose braid.

"Well at least I get you as an escort this time," Toph commented, happily sliding her hand into his, as they headed outside for Lichun. "Nothing against your dad but he's not got much of a funny bone."

Zuko snorted. "I don't imagine he does, no." It was... hard to imagine his dad with a sense of humor, really. All the sense of humor had seemingly gone to his uncle Iroh.

"He tries sometimes. It's terrible."

"I bet it is," Zuko snickered. "He used to do that sometimes at dinner. I hate to say it, but I'm glad that stopped."

"I'll gladly say it for you if you want," Toph offered.

"Hmm, I may have to take you up on that one. So, how goes the Earthbending training?" He hadn't heard anything about it in a while.

"Oh, I've finally beat Sifu Asante."

"Did you?"

"Mhm," Toph nodded, sounding rather proud of herself. "I do believe this makes me a Sifu Toph, yes?"

Zuko laughed a bit, nodding. "I believe it does."

"I asked your mother to spar with Asante for a bit, so I could observe Firebending technique."

"Why would you do that?"

"I'm blending it into my Earthbending," Toph replied, sounding matter-of-fact. "It's probably not surprising, but I beat Asante again in about five seconds after I switched off Earthbending tactic and leaned more heavily on Firebending instead."

"That's interesting," Zuko commented. "I didn't think you'd be able to combine the two."

"One would think not. Earthbending doesn't work if you're not stronger than the Earth you're trying to bend. This is why our techniques are far more rough and ugly than the other bending styles. But the Earth and I are best buddies. I guess it makes sense I'd be able to bend it whether I bend like a badgermole or a frilly princess."

"It's hard to imagine you of all people Earthbending like a frilly princess," Zuko snorted.

"Yeah, suppose so. But I figured, as long as I keep at least one foot, or a hand, on the ground, I'm not blind for a few seconds. A few seconds in a fight can be the difference between life or death and all."

"Interesting conclusion," Zuko allowed. "So... your style is probably going to end up kind of strange."

"Yeah," Toph nodded. "Since a lot of Firebending appears to be spins, jumps and circular motions, and at least one part of me has to be touching the ground, I bet it looks pretty strange."

"Actually, it might be really neat looking," Zuko said. "Thinking about it, it would be a fairly good blend of both." There was a pause. "... what made you think of it anyway?"

"Well, I'm an Earthbender that has lived over three years in the Fire Nation, and at the rate things are going, I'm going to be here a lot longer than that, right? So, it just made sense to me that my Earthbending would be influenced by Firebending. Besides, Earthbending by itself is naturally defensive - we have a whole arsenal of defensive moves, designed to endure an opponent's attacks until we find an opening to attack ourselves, whereas Firebending is the opposite. You have a huge list of options for offensive abilities and only a few defensive ones. Winning in combat is largely dependent on being capable of both attacking and defending, and doing both well. It makes sense that the combination of a defense-heavy art and an offense-heavy art would result in a pretty well-balanced technique."

"Interesting theory," Zuko allowed. "Still, you do have the side factor of being dependent on contact with the earth to see, right?"

"Mhm. I'm trying to strengthen what I can sense and how well I can sense it, so that my earth sight is just as strong with one foot on the ground as it is with both. Even if I end up going back to my original style, it'd be a good thing in the long run."

"Hmm, sometimes, I think I should be afraid of you."

Toph laughed, smacking his arm. "Yeah, I did tell you, maybe the woman of your nightmares."

"So you did."

"Come on, we should go find our ribbons," Toph said, pointing toward the prayer tree.

"You have one up there?"

"Yep," Toph nodded. "Ty Lee wrote it for me."

"Ah. So, look for the Ty Lee handwriting. Gotcha."

"She's got one up there, too, so there are two of them with her handwriting."

"Well that certainly narrows it down," Zuko grumbled. "How do I know which one is yours and which is hers?"

"She said she wrote mine in green ink instead of black," Toph supplied.

"Ah, that is a little more helpful." They made their way across the grounds, past Ozai and Ursa, mingling with the crowd. "Hey mom, dad," he greeted as they passed.

Strangely, in echo to him, Toph said the same thing. Both Ursa and Ozai stopped what they were doing, watching the two as they headed for the tree, and then turned to one another with a most baffled expression on their faces.

"Did she just call me dad?" Ozai asked.

"I... think so," Ursa answered. "And called me mom...?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard."

After several moments of staring at one another, they heard Zuko and Toph laughing at their befuddlement, and followed suit. As strange as it was, and rather unexpected, it wasn't so bad a thought at all.

* * *

"**D**o you even remember which one of those is yours?" Suyis asked, eyeing the tree dubiously. Part of the tradition of Lichun was taking the prayer ribbons tied up there at Lixia down. If you found yours intact, the wish written on it already had been, or would be answered. The festival was called the Festival of Lights as these in-tact wishes were tied to candles, which were later released into the bay, where they'd float out into the sea, a wave of light upon the water.

"I'm not sure," Azula answered, looking up through the branches herself. "I'll recognize my handwriting when I see it though." She went quiet, looking for it. And then turned to him. "Did you put one up?"

"No," he answered. No, he hadn't put one up. He was beyond wishes. None of his had ever been answered. Well, none of them but one. "I'm too old for it now."

Azula tisked. "Come on," she chided, "no one's too old for wishing."

"Wishes and dreams have never been too kind to me, Princess." And it was the truth. Wishing, dreaming and hoping maybe got normal people by. But it certainly didn't work for a soldier that lived the chaos and saw the pain.

She frowned, for a moment, before her eyes alighted, and she reached for a ribbon to untie it. "Found it," she sing-songed, before shuffling over to stand beside him. For a moment, she just watched him, an unreadable expression on her beautiful face. "When did you give up on them?"

He had to think about it for a few moments. "Probably about the time my mother went insane."

Her amber gaze narrowed in apparent sadness. "You've never told me anything about your parents. Is that why?"

Suyis shrugged, turning toward the tree. "Something like that, I'd wager. I didn't have the best life growing up. A lot of the things you only heard about, I lived. Hell some of those terrible things they still tell stories about now, I did them."

"I'd like to know those things, from you."

"Maybe someday."

One of her hands let go of the ribbon, to slide into his hand instead. She didn't say anything at all, but she didn't have to. A lopsided frown crossed his face, but eventually, he sighed, pulling her away from the tree, not really toward anything, just walking. It made it easier to think and keep his head on straight. No one knew anything about him but his name for a reason, and most of the time, not even his true name.

"My father was born in the Northern Tribe," he started. "His parents, my grandparents, were an interesting couple. One was a Firebender, with Water Tribe genetics, and no one ever talked about his parents so I guess that wasn't by choice on one of their parts, and the other was an Airbender."

"I thought the Avatar was the last -"

"Airbender, right. Well, it was safer that way, for them. The Fire Nation had already decided to destroy the Air Nomads, and there weren't a whole lot of them left afterward, and they just stayed quiet, some of them still are, years after the war's ended. Though my grandmother was an Airbender, only one of her parents was an Air Nomad, that being great Grandmother Ran, from the Western Air Temple. By chance, she and a Fire National had fallen in love before the invasion, and though their relationship at the time was taboo, they held onto it, and when the comet came, he risked his life to take her somewhere safe, and sheltered with her in the Northern Tribe. Their daughter Kyana married my grandfather Nori, who was probably born to a Water Tribe girl from an illegitimate union with a Firebender in the North. So, the end result was, my family is all sorts of mixed. It was a shock when my uncle Siksta came out a Waterbender, but he was safe. It shouldn't have been all that surprising when their second son, Surya, came out a Firebender."

"At the time, it was dangerous to Firebend in the Northern Tribe, as the tribe may not have taken it well and no one wanted to find out the hard way. But an untrained Firebender can be very dangerous, not only to themselves but to everyone around them. They had no choice but to send my father to my grandfather's half-brother, Yao, so that he could learn to control his Firebending. Naturally, my father's uncle was not very welcoming to him, and though he taught him to control it, he taught him little else, and treated him like scum. It may have been because he knew about his mixed bloodlines, and it may have merely been because if anyone in our family looks like they're Water Tribe, it's dad. He's darker in skin tone than I am, though his eyes are gold. It wasn't surprising when, as soon as he could, dad ran away and joined the military."

"Your father was in the military, too?" Azula asked.

Suyis nodded. "Yeah. Kind of runs in the family I guess. A lot of my family members have been in one military or another. He became a General. Your father might remember him, if you mentioned a General Surya to him. He eventually had a very ferocious disagreement with his superior officers, of which there were few, so you can imagine how bad that was, and he fled the Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom. Between joining and leaving, he met an escaped Water Tribe prisoner from the South, my mother Kaliska." The way he spat her name made it clear to Azula he did not like mommy.

"She... had a very twisted view of the Fire Nation and her own existence. My first brother Agneya is a Waterbender, shouldn't have been surprising as we have a lot of Water Tribe genes, but our mother hated him because she saw water as weak and fire as strong, probably the most logical conclusion her broken mind has ever come to, and it angered her that she had a weak son. My second brother Jadyka is an Airbender. She 'lost' him, and my father's never met him, and neither have I. And then there was me. I came out a Firebender. She'd wanted a Firebender, because she got it in her head the only way she'd be safe, the only way she'd get out of the Fire Nation, is if she had a Firebender son. So when I was born, she locked me away in a cellar and never mentioned anything. Neither did Agneya, too young to know what was going on."

"Then dad realized Agneya's being an introvert ran a little deeper than he'd first thought, they had a fight, and they were gone. I didn't meet my father as my father until I was nearly 21." A head shake. "I had never seen the outside of that cellar until I was seven. She tried to raise me so that I hated everyone but her, but that backfired - in the end, I hated her, too. I escaped on my own, and I've not seen her since. I don't care that I haven't. With any luck, she's passed on and hopefully gained some semblance of peace elsewhere. I wandered for a long time, before eventually joining the Fire Nation military - I met my father in the Earth Kingdom sometime later, and he recognized me by the bone necklace I wore, still wear, actually." He paused, pointing at the paneled bone necklace under his shirt collar. "It'd been his, but he let me keep it. He taught me how to control my Firebending. Now I can generate lightning, and my flames have turned blood red. So, I guess some of the Fei Xing, the Shooting Star whose flame none can tame gig, well it was true, at the start."

Azula considered it all, for a bit, as they walked. And then, she said, "But your mother went insane before you were even born, the way you speak of her."

Suyis stopped, turning to face her. And he said only one word. "Exactly."

* * *

"**I** never really thought someone calling me 'dad' would make my heart leap quite that far into my throat," Ozai commented.

Ursa made a sound that seemed amused, but didn't quite make it to a laugh. "Well, just goes to show, you do actually like her, hm?"

"I knew I did," he shrugged. "She's got a hell of a backbone when she stops instinctively holding herself back."

"I thought the same. Sometime, you'll have to watch her spar with Asante."

"I just might, at that." If nothing else, it did seem like it would be an interesting venture. And Ozai was all for learning, when he could. It was probably a trait his elder brother had accidentally passed onto him, but this was a good thing, probably, that it had rubbed off. If it hadn't, then he probably would have never learned exactly what his nation was doing, and wouldn't have ever bothered to fight it.

"Here you go," Ursa murmured, lighting one of the festivalgoers' candle. "It's almost sunset," she said, looking at the sun, slowly sinking below the horizon.

"So it is. Almost time to release the candles," Ozai added. "Hm, last year, we had a young girl set herself on fire."

Ursa chuckled. "I remember. The poor dear. Now she's terrified of fire."

"Is she?" Hmm. "Perhaps we might take her to see the Sun Warriors."

"You think that'd help?"

"No one in the Fire Nation should be afraid of fire," Ozai said. "Just afraid of it going out of control."

"Ran and Shaw might help her understand, hm?"

"Perhaps."

"They're expecting another clutch from Zeera this summer," Ursa commented. "Soon enough we'll have dragons all over the place again."

"I look forward to the day that happens," Ozai hummed, reaching over to light another's candle. Most of the time, he and Ursa spent the majority of Lichun at the start lighting candles for those that couldn't light them on their own.

"As do I. I heard a lot about the dragons from my grandmother."

"I heard they taste like arctic hen."

"Ozai!"

"What? I'm just repeating what my father said," Ozai defended. "Besides, I've never eaten a dragon and I don't intend to. They're too cute as newborns."

"Yeah, cute up until they reach the age where they can burn you to a very crunchy crisp."

Ah... "Yes. Well." Ah, so it went. "Maybe I want to be fried to piping hot perfection."

Ursa gave him a look. "Really?"

"No, not really."

"I hear human tastes good with sour cream."

"Really?" Ozai arched an eyebrow. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From... someone I probably should not take seriously." There was a pause, during which Ozai's gaze never left her. Ursa huffed. "Azula, when she was three."

"I've never heard anything of it."

"Well, probably because I forbade her from ever saying it again."

Ozai chuckled. "Likely a good thing. Back then, the last thing I needed was to be explaining to my father why my daughter is under the impression human tastes good with _anything_."

"I'm not certain I could have kept a straight face during that discussion."

"She was just teasing Zuko, right?"

"Sometimes, she did a lot more than tease." Often, it went tumbling into threatening territory.

"Hm." Ozai tilted his head, his hand resting on Ursa's elbow, as he nodded across the crowd. "She's done a lot of growing up since then."

Ursa's gaze followed his, watching Azula and Suyis walking around the prayer tree, hand in hand. Though they seemed a bit somber, there was a certain aura of comfort there, of trust. "You know, they're probably next," she said, leaning to the side a bit to look at him.

"Yes," Ozai sighed. "I'm... slowly coming to terms with this."

"But I wanted the pretty lady to light it!" Ursa and Ozai both blinked, and turned down, to see two young boys, one of them holding out his lantern.

"You have two lanterns, right?" Ursa asked. "One of us can light one and the other -"

"No," the second boy holding the lantern shook his head. "Mom and dad said we're supposed to learn how to cooperate. So we made just one wish this year, and we only have one lantern."

"And I want the Fire Lady to light it," the other pouted.

"Certainly a good lesson to learn," Ursa said. "When no one else will help you, your brother will always be there."

"You think so?" the second brother asked.

"Certainly. Would you do that for him?" she asked, looking at the first brother.

"Yeah," he said. "... maybe give him hell over it though, because if he needs _my_ help, he did something really stupid."

Ursa giggled a bit.

"Here," Ozai interjected, reaching over to take Ursa's hand. Their fingers intertwined, and she got the idea. Both Firebent at the same time, effectively sharing the lighting.

"That was **awesome**!" The boy holding it exclaimed. His brother shuffled over to look at the flame, cheerily dancing around on the wick.

"It seems really happy," he said.

"Hm," Ozai tilted his head. "I wonder why it'd seem happy."

"Not sure," Ursa answered.

"Ewww," one of the brothers declared, picking up the lantern and taking off for the bay. "THEY'RE GONNA KISS!" The other brother squeaked and ran after the first.

Ursa giggled. "Children get the most interesting ideas."

Ozai hummed. "Certainly do."

"Oh, jeez, come down here," Ursa finally declared, reaching up and pulling him down, so their lips could meet. Both smiled through it.

"Hmm, I think I'm beginning to understand why the lantern's flame was so happy."

"Oh?"

"It was blessed by your presence," Ozai said. "A very good reason to be happy, indeed."

"It only works on flames and Ozais," Ursa giggled.

"Good enough for me."

* * *

"**W**ell, they're around here somewhere," Katara said, meandering through the crowd. This _was_ the Fire Nation, it made sense Princess Azula and Prince Zuko would be... well, here.

"We've been wandering around for almost an hour!" Sokka declared. "And I want to go see Ty Lee!"

"This one, you know, I wasn't expecting," Katara started, crossing her arms. "If I was expecting anything, it was you to get attracted to Princess Yue."

"Oh she's nice too. And really pretty..."

"Sokka."

"Sorry." There was a pause. "How about you and that nice Earth guy?"

"What nice Earth guy?" Katara asked, sounding a bit defensive.

"You know, the big muscular Earth Kingdom guy you danced with at Lidong?"

Katara flushed a bright pink. "I didn't dance with anyone," she said, turning away and going back to looking for the Fire Nation royals.

"You did too!" Sokka insisted. "And he was kind of cool looking, if you don't mind my saying."

"He is!" Katara squealed, turning back to him. "And he's really nice and got a great sense of humor and you should _see his hair_ how does he keep it so _long _and _pretty_?!"

"Holy crap, Katara, I just said the guy's cool looking."

Right. A cough, and Katara straightened out. "Yeah. I wasn't paying attention."

"Sure you weren't," Sokka drawled. "Ya even know his _name_?"

"Of course I know his name," Katara spat. "It's Asante."

"Asante," Sokka repeated, elongating the 'a,' "interesting name for an Earth Kingdom guy."

"It means joy," Katara informed him.

"Did he tell you that?"

"No." There was a pause, as Katara fidgeted. "I kind of asked around."

"Heh, you're cute sis."

"Thanks?"

"Oh look," Sokka interrupted, pointing, "I found Zuko." Wandering around with... the same girl Azula had told them was a slave at Lidong. Interesting. Katara tilted her head, but followed as Sokka headed their direction. "Hey Princey!"

Zuko arched an eyebrow. "Ah, right, Prince Sokka, and... Katara, right?"

"Yep," Katara nodded.

"Nice to see you guys still around."

"Actually we're just passing through," Sokka mentioned. "On the way to the Northern Tribe."

"Oh?"

Katara nodded. "Yeah, one of our Water Tribe festivals is soon, during which the two tribes come together."

"I see," Zuko smiled. "Well glad you guys could stop by. Ah, this is Toph," he said, gesturing to the slightly shorter girl. She had the palest green eyes either Sokka or Katara had ever seen.

"A bit unnerving, that stare," Sokka whispered, and though Zuko didn't hear it, Toph did.

"Sokka, be nice," Katara admonished, elbowing him. "Nice to meet you Toph."

"Yeah, you too," Toph answered. "And I guess you're alright," she said, turning to face Sokka more fully. "Though you should work on your whispering. It's loud."

Sokka made a face. Katara laughed at him. "Sorry about him, my brother's not the best mannered."

"Noticed," Toph answered.

"We're just looking for the prayer ribbon Ty Lee put up for her."

"What are the prayer ribbons for, anyway?" Katara asked, looking up at the small number of ribbons still tied to the tree's branches.

"We put them up during Lixia, it's in a few months, when summer officially starts again," Zuko explained. "You're supposed to write a wish on them, and when we take them down during this festival, Lichun, the start of the next spring, if your ribbon is still mostly intact, your wish has been or will be granted. So they say. If it is intact, we tie them to a candle in a floating lantern and release them into the bay."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Katara asked.

"Suppose it could be," Zuko allowed. "But we're careful what we make the lanterns of. The candles are designed to burn completely, so all that's left is the wick, and the sea practically gobbles those up. The paper comes apart easily and will dissolve in the water, so they don't hurt the sealife."

"That's cool," Katara said.

"Wishes," Sokka snorted. "How silly. Wishing's got nothing on making things happen."

"Yeah?" Toph started. "Maybe the point isn't making the wish and then waiting for it to happen. Maybe the point is remembering that's what you want and going for it."

"... your chick friend is kind of saucy," Sokka said.

"Nah," Zuko shook his head. "Just... very independent. And she's my girlfriend, not a chick friend."

"Oh." Sokka blinked. "Wow he has a girlfriend."

"Yes Sokka," Katara sighed. "I heard."

"Hey, I think I found the green one," Zuko said, before reaching up and untying it.

"Only way to be sure is if you read it to me," Toph answered. Zuko leaned over and whispered it into her ear. "That's the one."

"That's the same thing mine says," Zuko told her, his voice quiet.

"It is?"

"Yeah."

"We wished for the same thing..." How likely was that?

"How sweet! Did it get answered at least?" Katara asked.

"Yeah," Toph said. "I think it did."

"Think mine did too," Zuko added. "Let's tie them to the same lantern."

"Sounds good to me." It wasn't like she really knew what she was doing with the lanterns anyway.

"You two should come back for Lixia," Zuko said, turning to Sokka and Katara. "And put your own ribbons up."

"Are you joking?" Sokka laughed. "No wishes for me."

"Sokka," Katara sighed. "I will at least."

"Come on Katara, wishes don't ever get granted, it's all just chance and hard work."

"Yeah? This is why dad's hope that you'd marry Princess Yue is never going to happen. Because you're an overly realist jerk."

"I am not! I'm just very in touch with reality."

Strangely, Zuko and Toph found themselves laughing at the two.

"What?" Katara asked.

"You two are fun," Toph said. "Though you bicker more like an old married couple than siblings."

"Bah. Look, we're old," Katara said.

"I'm going to go find Ty Lee, you have fun with your happy pappy wishes and daydreams," Sokka said, wandering off.

"You do know Ty Lee put one up too, right?" Toph called after him.

"GRK. DAMN IT, DEMON CHILD!" Sokka exclaimed. Zuko glared at him from across the way, but didn't say or do anything.

"Eh, relax," Toph said, shrugging lightly. "He's right."

* * *

**T**he two made their way down the trail that led to the bay, hand in hand. Zuko held the lantern, the candle inside wrapped with both their prayer ribbons. The sun had just fallen beneath the waves on the horizon, and now the sky would become darker as the night took over. They always released the lanterns not long after the sun had set entirely, so that the candles' light could be seen easily. It was kind of a shame, Zuko thought, that Toph wouldn't be able to see the lights.

At least the bay water was very calm, facilitating the lights release. He noticed Azula and Suyis some ways ahead, chattering away about something. Soon, they got to the shore, and knelt down, releasing Azula's lantern into the bay. It surged and spun around in the water, before drifting out toward the sea, joining the swirl of lights and colors between the shore and the Gates of Azulon.

He did notice that neither of his parents ever released a lantern, letting the civilians enjoy it instead. Perhaps not surprisingly, the children seemed to enjoy the lantern release the most. Children of almost every age came to the palace for Lichun, each excited to watch the lanterns drift out to sea, taking with them the nation's most precious wishes and dreams. It was almost romantic.

"Here we go," Zuko said, stopping at the water's edge. Toph knelt down beside him, setting her hands on the water's surface.

"It's warm," she said.

"The Fire Nation's one of the few places in the world where it's always warm, even in the winter. You could probably go swimming in December," he said, kneeling beside her.

"What's the lantern look like?" she asked, reminding him of the time he attempted to explain what a bonfire looks like to her and failed miserably.

"Um... well, it's a box shape, see?" He reached over and took her hand, carefully guiding it over the paper. "Most of the look is the way the paper interacts with the light. It dims it slightly, giving it a more ethereal glow."

"Mm," Toph answered, thinking. "What's it look like to you?"

Zuko hummed softly. And then he said, "It looks like hope. When dad started this tradition a few years ago, the Fire Nation was really confused and questioned it. But I think the ribbons themselves aren't really supposed to mean anything, but, rather represent the act of wishing itself, and remind the people that it's okay to hope and wish. And when we set our dreams free in the bay, the wind and the sea carry them away to someplace maybe we'll never find them, but it's okay, after that, to chase them. Even if you never catch them, you might catch something else along the way."

Toph smiled a bit. "You're such a romanticist."

"Suppose I am yeah." A pause, as he set her hands on the lantern's base, just under his own. Then they set it loose in the bay, and it swirled around and did a little dance on the water, before the tide carried it out to join the rest. "But it's alright," he said, after watching it go and join the sea of the nation's dreams. "I think it was my being a romanticist that led me to you."

"Maybe," Toph allowed. "But I've never been too much of one myself."

"That's alright. We'll learn as we go."

"Oh?" Toph smiled. "Is that optimism I hear?"

"Never." Zuko shook his head. "It's just slightly less pessimistic than usual is all."

"Of course." Well, Toph would let him have that one, but, it was definitely the start, at least, of something much closer to optimism than he'd like to admit. But he was right: since the beginning, they'd always been learning as they went, and maybe it was okay that way.

They walked in relative silence, away from the bay through the trees. The sounds of the festival faded away, leaving them with just one another, the sounds of their breathing and the steps they took through the trees. It wasn't a well-worn path, not anymore. And there wasn't really any reason for going that direction, aside from Zuko remembered the path and they were going somewhere, so, why not. It was a comfortable silence that settled between them, as he led the way, up onto a cliff. Where the sky, earth and sea mingled together.

"It's quiet up here," Toph said, her voice quiet. "Peaceful."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I used to come up here a lot to think." He shuffled around a little in place, before sitting down. Toph did too, scooting over a little so she could lean against him.

After a moment, she asked, "What?"

"What what?"

"You feel like you want to say something."

Zuko sighed. And then he asked, "Are you... happy here?"

Toph sat up, tilting her head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"This isn't... you know, your homeland. You're not Fire Nation."

"Well no, but I don't really have any emotional attachment to the Earth Kingdom anymore. My dad is dead, my mom is too, I never loved my step-father or my step-sister, frankly, I don't even remember their names, I never had any friends before until I came here. Everyone I care about is here."

Hm. "Put that way, kind of makes sense. I just... you know, been thinking about everything and -"

"Uh oh," Toph interrupted. "Sparky thinking, it tends to end in disaster."

Despite the words, Zuko did end up laughing a little. "Jee Toph, thanks."

"You're welcome," she promptly answered.

"I don't know. Uncle asked me, a few days ago, what I'd do, if my parents decided they wanted me to marry someone that's not you. And I think I said something about throwing a Firebending fit, but, actually, I'd probably do something more idiotic, like take you and run away and we could live on a little deserted island somewhere."

"I'm down with that." Toph paused, frowning a little. "They're not, are they?"

"No," Zuko shook his head. "Mom adores you and dad seems a tad on the smitten side too. I just... it made me wonder what I would do, if I could tolerate it. And I don't think I could. If the person I married was someone that's not you, I don't think I could tolerate it. And my parents would probably have a hell of a fight on their hands. And you kept saying, and still say sometimes, that I can do better, that there's better out there, and maybe I can and there is. But Toph, I don't want better. I was right when I told my father that you're the one I want. I meant it, even then."

Toph went quiet, sort of a stunned silence. "This is sudden," she eventually managed.

"Heh, not really," he answered, reaching over to take both her hands, turning to face her fully. "The more time we spend together, the more I realize how lost I'd be if you weren't here. How lonely it'd be, how... boring, even. And maybe it's kind of soon to ask this, and I really suck at speeches... my family has the gift of eloquence, it apparently skipped me over. But I'm... I want to make this work, and I'm sure we can figure it out, if we try, and we stay together."

"Sparky, what are you -"

"Marry me," he blurted. And then shook his head, "Wait no, will you marry me?"

Toph arched an eyebrow. "... yeah that is kind of sudden..."

"You don't have to answer now, I can wait, for you, I'd wait -"

One of her fingers tapped his lips. "Shh. I just... my eloquence has exited the Fire Nation."

Zuko smiled a little, kissing her finger. "Like I said, I never had any to start with."

She giggled. "I think it's cute."

"I'm glad someone does."

A breath in, and she pulled herself up onto her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck. Without thinking about it, he laid his head on her shoulder, his arms wrapping around her waist. "When we get back to the palace, ask me again. Then, I'll answer."

"Alright." He accepted it without second thought. He did want her to know, it was her _choice_, and he wanted her to choose him as much as he chose her. And if she refused him, it'd hurt, he knew that, probably more than anything else had in his entire life, but he'd accept it. She had a right to say no, and he'd respect that right. Too many of her rights had been ignored for too long already. Zuko didn't intend to continue that tradition.

And, perhaps not surprisingly, that he accepted it without second thought, without arguing even in the slightest, it made Toph realized she already had the answer.

* * *

**T**he walk back to the palace was similarly quiet and comforting. Neither said anything else, content to just enjoy the other's presence, and maybe nothing else really needed to be said. She was happy here, more so than she'd ever really been. It was here that she'd begun starting to understand herself a little better, begun to learn how to love and allow herself to _be_ loved. And she'd grown more here than she'd ever thought she would, as a person, had made friends that she didn't want to be away from again. Yes, she was very happy here, and would be very happy to be Zuko's wife.

"MOM!" Azula's voice cried, as she ran across the grounds, to the stairs leading into the palace. Ursa stopped, inevitably tugging Ozai to a stop as well.

"Yes?"

"Can Suyis stay with me tonight?"

Ozai and Ursa shared a glance. "I don't know..." Ursa began.

"Nothing will happen!" Azula insisted. "I just want to fall asleep listening to him breathe."

"That's awfully sappy for you," Zuko interjected, coming up the stairs too.

"Yeah, suppose it is. But he looks like he needs a hug anyway."

Suyis, of course, arched an eyebrow, and gave her a look that asked, 'Really Azula?'

"Don't make that face, you do!"

He shook his head. "Okay. Whatever you say."

"And I'm of age anyway," Azula mentioned. After a pause, she added, "And Toph crawls into Zuko's bed sometimes."

"Fine," Ozai sighed. "But if we end up expecting children, I'm going to fry you both." He turned and went back to heading inside, Ursa following.

"Are you spying on us?" Zuko asked, following their parents.

Azula just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Good show of maturity, 'Zula," he grumbled. Toph giggled.

As they shuffled into the entrance hall, Zuko coughed. "Uh, guys," he started, "could you hold up a second?"

"What _now_?" Ozai huffed, stopping as requested and turning to face his son. Ursa pursed her lips: not in impatience. She had a feeling she knew what this was about.

Zuko smiled a little, turning to face Toph. "So, we're back in the palace," he said. "And I asked you once, I'll ask again. Toph, will you marry me?"

Ozai blinked. And then blinked again and turned to Ursa. "What's with the - this is sudden."

"Hush," Ursa said.

"Did you just shush me?"

"Shh." Though she sounded a little irritated, she was beaming.

Toph smiled, and breathed in. And then tilted her head, and kissed Zuko. "Yes. Yes yes yes yes YES." She kissed him again, but it was broken not long after by their laughing. And, surprisingly, she didn't protest when Zuko picked her up and spun her around.

Azula squealed, the sound echoing off the walls, and hugged Suyis.

"... what are you hugging _me_ for?" Suyis snickered.

"Because it's just so _cute_ and gah!"

"Fucking fire spirits I'm in for a migraine in the morning," Ozai mumbled under his breath. Despite his words, he was smiling too. "Alright congratulations, we'd all better get to sleep."

"Of course," Zuko agreed. ... and then he let Toph go and hugged his dad.

"Heh. Yeah, I was that happy when your mother said yes," he said, quiet, hugging back. "Come on, sleep. We'll have our hands full with wedding preparations soon enough."

* * *

**Notes:** Okay, wasn't expecting a Suyis history in here but there it is. Congratulations to Azula, for being the only person that can get near that much out of him with not a single word. He has _never_ said that much to anyone about his past. _Ever_.

I tank at doing fight scenes, so, excuse that failure of one in there. Also, FNS = Fire Nation Ship. (USS = United States Ship/ROCS = Republic of China Ship. So that is how they name them in the real world.) The HLS Azula and HLS Zuko's prefix would be Her Lady/His Lord's Ship, which I believe is still in use today as well in England, only as HMS, His/Her Majesty's Ship.

Looks like Ty Lee was right! Lichun it was. :) If you're curious, it has been about nine months in story since chapter one. So, actually, it wasn't really all that "soon," at least not as much as Zuko seems to think it was.

The start of spring. It's known as Imbolc on the Wheel of the Year. Also called the Festival of Lights, and it corresponds to the Christian Candlemas. These days, we just set a candle on the windowsill, to welcome the warmth of the sun back into the world, but, for this I decided to go a more romanticized literal festival of lights, wherein the festival-goers release welcoming floating candles into the bay. In the real world, depending upon what the candles and their containers are made of, floating candles can be rather detrimental to the environment, so unless you make them out of something biodegradable, I dooo not want to endorse actually doing that in real life. I've also been looking forward to this one, so there's that.

Candlemas is on February 2nd, whereas real-life Lichun is on February 4-5, and Imbolc (pronounced ih-molk or ih-molg, the I being a short I, thaaaat's hard to get across in writing woo wee) taking place from sunset on January 31 to sunrise on February 1. I'm going with February 3 for the date here.

Two more chapters and we're done! I'm so excited for the finale, and things really explode next chapter. Also, DAMN IT lol The Fire Lord and Lady don't play dat homes. Hard to find any openings for Mai to screw things up with SOMEONE in the royal family like... always right there, and like two guards outside her door, and one below her window... you'd think she was a foreign princess that had assassin issues or something fml.

That's okay. I hate writing Mai anyway. And the aforementioned foreign princess with assassin issues really isn't too far from the truth, aye?

In Japan, floating candles are relatively common, and I think the floating candle tradition may be more Japanese than Chinese - sky lanterns are more common in China, from my understanding. The Japanese seem to release floating lanterns for almost anything, and it's not unheard of to see floating lotus candles down a river or in a bay. It started as a tradition for honoring the ancestors, and the tradition continues into the modern era, and I can see why as it is a very beautiful tradition, as long as it's monitored. I remember Panasonic setting loose 100,000 LED lights in Japan's Sumida River, to start the Tokyo Firefly Festival, as fireflies no longer occupy the river. It was amazing, and Panasonic did a great job designing the lights to be eco-friendly: they were designed as balls that would light up once they contacted the water, and were 100% solar powered. After illuminating a large stretch of the river, they were caught in a large net.

Don't get comfortable yet! The fic is about to explode into chaos! -breeeeathe- I do so love the smell of panic in the morning.

Ah, I also think I should note here, that my mother is fighting breast cancer. The doctors are not sure she'll be here this time next year, so my dad's sending me out to Seattle to see her, I live a little over 600 miles away and haven't seen her for two years, sometime within the next week or two. I don't know what this will mean for Monochrome, it may mean I end up stopping before it's done, I may end up getting it done before I go. I guess we'll see.


End file.
